


Photographs

by orphan_account



Series: The Relics of the Mind [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Abuse, Accidental Plot, Again, Aged Up Dipper Pines, Aged up Mabel Pines, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Apocalypse, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Attempted Kidnapping, Author Dipper Pines, Aversion To Physical Contact, BillDip, Bipolar Disorder, Bisexual Character, Blood and Gore, Cipher Twins - Freeform, Comfort, Demons, Depression, Drag Queen Bill Cipher, Emotional Need, Falling In Love, Fluff, Human Bill Cipher, I hope, Lesbian Character, Love at First Sight, Mania, Manic Episodes, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of self-harm, Minor Character Death, Moving In Together, Multi, Muses, Older Pines Twins, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Character, Pines Twins, Please Don't Hate Me, Plot Twists, Psychological Torture, Saving Each Other, Smut, Soulmates, Suicidal Thoughts, TRUST NO ONE, Tags Contain Spoilers, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Trust Issues, Two sets of Twins and Not a Straight one in the bunch, What Have I Done, Will Cipher - Freeform, Writer's Block, actually wait no it was successful, because there will be, dont love him because you will regret it, god damn it, i actually looked up bipolar disorder for this, i didnt mean for this to have plot, i seriously didnt know that i might have it, i seriously never said no magic, later chapters mainly, leaving abusive relationships, letting go, like seriously, major plot twists, oh there are plot twists to come, please give me feedback, safe houses, tad is an asshole, this is not a no magic au, this was not supposed to have plot, well more realistic portayal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 21:39:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5065282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Grunkle Stan's death, Dipper and Mabel move seperate ways; Mabel back to their hometown in California, and Dipper to the small apartment complex on the main street of the small town called Gravity Falls. Dipper never expected that he would find a muse when he moved to the small complex, but there he was, a golden light. Bill Cipher never thought he would escape his hellish relationship. When he sees his new neighbour though, he can't stop the warm spark of interest the brunet causes. Little does anyone know, things are rising up, and when they break forth, the relationship that blooms from a supposed "first meeting" will be at a tremendous risk, as will the sanity of everyone in Gravity Falls. This is the story of two men who are torn between themselves, and the risks that they will take to save each other from the dangers that lurk just out of sight. This is Photographs, and it's a story of deception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

> Please check the tags before reading! This fic could be considered triggering and if you are bothered by the things in the tags than let me know in the comments. It doesn't get really bad until later chapters, but the more domestic triggers are nestled in the starting chapters. If you ever need to skip a chapter, let me know and I can give you a summary of the chapter without the triggers.

 

            The few weeks after Grunkle Stan’s death were sad and solemn ones. After the twins’ parents had divorced when they were fourteen, they had gone to live with Stan, leaving their residential area for a small rustic town in Oregon called Gravity Falls. Ever since the move they had become close with their Grunkle. After his funeral, the twins decided that they were going to split their savings over the last ten or so years and move out of Stan’s home. It took them a while, but eventually both Mabel and Dipper had found affordable living places that they lived. Mabel’s apartment was back in their hometown, while Dipper had managed to find a small apartment closer to the central part of Gravity Falls.

            The twins had only been separated for a week at the longest before this, and Dipper wasn’t taking it too well. For the first few nights they had been apart, Dipper found himself jolting awake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, texting Mabel to make sure she was okay. After a week or two of being holed up in his apartment, nothing really unpacked except for his kitchen supplies and food, he decided that he needed to get out of the house for a bit of fresh air and grocery shopping.

            He quickly unpacked the majority of his clothes, putting them away semi-orderly in his dresser and closet alike, got dressed in the last couple clothing items in the box (which were thankfully a blue plaid flannel and white jeans), grabbed his wallet and car keys, and went out the door, almost immediately running into someone.

            This someone was a young man who appeared to be Dipper’s age. He had skin that was a couple shades darker than Dipper’s (Mabel would have gotten technical and called it ‘olive’), a dusting of freckles, a mop of unruly blond hair and stunning dark gold eyes.

            Dipper held out a hand to help the young man up off the ground. The blond just glared at it before getting up on his own. When he stood up, Dipper was surprised. The man was probably a half a foot shorter than Dipper and was, in all honesty, mildly terrifying.

            “Do you usually attack your neighbours when they come to welcome you to the area, or am I a special case?” The blond asked, putting his hands on his slender hips. His voice was light and high, very feminine but still very commanding.

            “I-I’m sorry!” Dipper stumbled over his words, inexplicably flustered by the man. “I was rushing out the door and didn’t look to see if anyone was walking after I closed the door!”

            The man scoffed. “Clearly. You might want to start doing that.” He said, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. “I’m Bill, Bill Cipher. I’m also your next door neighbour. I work late, so please try to keep noise down in the mornings.” Bill held out his hand for Dipper to shake after he had finished his introduction.

            A little hesitantly, Dipper took it, introducing himself. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dipper Pines. I’m pretty much nocturnal, so you don’t have to worry about morning noise unless my sister comes to visit, which I doubt will happen soon. She’s too busy settling in to her own apartment.”

            “Mmm…” Bill hummed, an air of carelessness about him. “Judging by your tone and the fact that you’ve been yelling in your sleep, oh yeah, our bedrooms are on opposite sides of the wall to each other by the way, you’re really close emotionally but currently halfway across the country from each other? I’m also guessing you’re twins.”

            Dipper stared at him in awe for a moment. “How did you know that?” he asked, his voice involuntarily hushed.

            “I’ve a twin myself.” he shrugged in response. “I know what it’s like.”

            “Well, I guess we have something in common that we could talk about if we run into each other like this again.” Dipper chuckled.

            “Actually, I was going to welcome you to the area with an invitation for sinner at my place tonight. If you want that is.” Bill said, not meeting Dipper’s eyes, “You don’t need to RSVP. Dinner’s at seven sharp tonight and you can show up then if you want, if you don’t then stay home.”

            A little taken by surprise, Dipper responded without thinking: “I’ll be there.”

            It was then that Bill directly looked him in the eye, and he seemed to freeze in time. Gold locked to deep brown and deep brown locked to gold, both seemingly unable to look away from each other. Dipper heard the blood in his ears and felt it running though his veins. It suddenly felt like every nerve in his body was on fire. His heart was racing and he felt out of breath. Suddenly, as fast as it all started, it stopped; their eye contact breaking awkwardly. After standing in an awkward silence for a little while, Dipper spoke up again.

            “So I guess I’ll see you at seven o’clock sharp?” he said, trying to hide a slight voice crack in the middle of the sentence.

            “Uh, yeah. Don’t be late.” Bill said, starting to walk back to his apartment, “And there’ll be dessert so don’t eat for a bit beforehand to make sure you have room for the food!” he added right before closing the door to his apartment.

            Dipper stood outside his own apartment, staring down that hall at where the blond had disappeared. What had happened when they made eye contact? The brunet managed to convince himself that he had imagined it all before going back inside his apartment to finish unpacking, the trip to the grocery store long forgotten.

▲▼▲

            A few boxes of knickknacks, six outfits and three hours later, Dipper was knocking at Bill’s door. He ended up just wearing his outfit from before after realizing that if he changed, it might have given a strange message.

            Nerves jumping, Dipper smiled anxiously as Bill opened the door. Bill looked slightly surprised to see him standing there, pausing for a moment before opening the door fully to let him in.

            “You… you actually showed up.” Bill said, sounding slightly awed.

            “Well, yeah,” Dipper laughed. “I said I would, didn’t I?”

            “I didn’t have high hopes of you showing up.” Bill moved aside to let Dipper into his apartment.

            “I’m guessing you don’t have many decently mannered guests then.” Dipper muttered as he stepped in, taking in his surroundings. Bill’s apartment was seemingly minimalistic when it came to furniture. He had a simple two-person dining table in a corner of the living room, a plain white couch in front of which was a glass coffee table were situated in the middle of the living room facing a TV stand. On the first tier of the TV stand was a high-tech sound system it seemed. On the second was a DVD player, a large stack of CDs and a pile of DVDs, and finally the TV was on the third and top level.

            “I was just serving dinner onto the plates; you can take a seat at the dining table.” Bill said, walking into the kitchen and serving a second plate.

            Dipper smiled and thanked him before sitting down at the seat tucked into the corner. He would have sat in the other chair but he didn’t want to make Bill feel trapped in his own home. Bill brought the food over and Dipper had to make a conscious effort to not drool at the smell. If it tasted anywhere near as good as it smelled, Dipper would be in heaven.

            “It’s homemade lasagna. Sorry it’s nothing special.” Bill muttered, sitting in the other seat.

            Dipper laughed. “It smells better than anything I’ve ever eaten before, and I bet it tastes even better.” His words caused Bill to blush a bit and look down at his plate.

            Picking up the fork, Dipper cut a piece of lasagna off and popped it in his mouth. He tried to stop himself, but a slight quiet moan escaped him when he tasted the food, causing Bill to laugh heartily.

            “It’s that good, huh?” Bill chuckled, “Thanks.”

            “Even if I were to get the recipe, I wouldn’t be able to make it.” Dipper said, grinning widely at the blond across the table.

            “It’s surprisingly easy to make actually,” Bill said, a light showing up in his eyes as he sat up a little bit straighter. “I can give you the recipe if you want.”

            “I don’t want it,” Dipper replied, “Mainly because it wouldn’t taste this good. You’re a really good chef, you know that right?”

            This caused Bill to look back down, grinning and blushing like a fool.

            “Do you know that?” Dipper asked, taking another bite of the lasagna. “Or at least has anyone ever told you that?”

            Bill shook his head, his sunny grin turning into a frown. “I don’t get compliments often…” he mumbled.

            Dipper sighed offhandedly. He didn’t know why but he felt the need to make Bill feel better. He felt responsible for keeping Bill happy and safe. It was an odd feeling, one that he remembered quite vividly from his time with Mabel but he couldn’t put an exact name to. He reached over and gently touched Bill’s arm, the blond looking up at him with a weak smile.

            “Thanks,” Bill said, a grateful look in his eyes. “I’m serious, thank you. I really needed that right now. It’s been a rough couple weeks for me and I haven’t had a pick-me-up in over a month.”

            Dipper grinned widely at him. “If you ever need another, knock anytime or feel free to call me. I’ll give you my number after.”

            While they talked and ate, the air of tension and awkwardness slowly melted away as they became more familiar with each other. When they finished, Bill took their plates to the kitchen, a comfortable silence settling over the two of them. Quietly in the background, music played.

            “You like Ed Sheeran?” Dipper asked as Bill served dessert onto smaller plates.

            Bill laughed lightly. “Yeah, you would be surprised at how diverse my music taste is. I listen to everything from Black Veil Brides to Nicki Minaj to Mozart.”

            “That’s a wide range.” Dipper nodded appreciatively, “What are your favourites though, because you seem more like a Panic! at the Disco kind of person.”

            “You’re pretty much dead on there. I’m a pretty big fan of Panic, Fall out Boy, MCR, Twenty One Pilots and Muse but I will never deny just how much I love Ed Sheeran.” Bill replied, bringing plates with warm cherry pie on them to the table. “I mean, this is probably my favourite song ever. I just find it so sweet and romantic.”

            Dipper had been humming it up until this point. When Bill said that he began to sing: “So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans, holding me closer ‘till our eyes meet, you won’t ever be alone, wait for me to come home…” he trailed off, their eyes meeting again. There was a jolt and he felt his mouth go dry. The pull he felt from before was so much stronger now and he was sure now that this wasn’t his imagination playing tricks on him. They were locked on each other’s eyes and they weren’t looking away any time soon. The rush lasted. The two of them stared for what seemed to be forever but could have only been a few seconds. When Dipper and Bill snapped out of it, they were standing almost pressed against each other. Dipper didn’t remember moving, let alone standing up but there he was, face to face with Bill.

            The two of them jumped back at the same time, laughing awkwardly and looking anywhere but at each other, both red in the face. Dipper sat down in his seat again, picking up the dessert fork. Bill on the other hand, stayed standing. He looked mad at himself for some reason.

            “Bill are you-” Dipper started, though he was quickly cut off by Bill.

            “Do you want something to drink?” he asked, turning to go into the kitchen.

            “I’m good…” Dipper replied. He was worried about Bill’s sudden attitude change. Was Bill suddenly uncomfortable with having Dipper in his apartment? I would make sense going by what just happened. Dipper’s mind reeled with worst case scenarios and anxiety. When Bill sat back down at the table, Dipper muttered “Sorry…”

            Bill sighed. “It’s not your fault. I’ve got some stuff on my mind and whatever that was isn’t doing anything to help.” He explained, “But I just want to forget about my stress right now, so let’s eat.”

            The rest of the evening passed rather uneventfully. They ate, drank and had small talk, not bringing up what happened earlier. When they finished, Bill walked Dipper back to his apartment.

            “I almost forgot!” Dipper pulled out his phone, “Exchange numbers?”

            Bill nodded, taking his own phone out. “Should we trade to exchange numbers?” He asked, holding out his phone with a blank contact open. They swapped phones and quickly typed in their numbers before switching back and typing in a contact name.

            “I’ll text you some time.” Bill said, shrugging.

            Dipper nodded, “Yeah, I’ll see you around.”

            Once Bill left, Dipper went into his apartment, slumping against the inside of the door and running a hand though his hair. He was hopelessly infatuated with his neighbour and there was nothing he could do about it. Dipper sat there for a while with his head in his hands, trying to stop himself from thinking too much on all of it. It didn’t work. If anything he made it all worse. The only reason he stood up after an hour or so was to get some painkillers to stop the headache he gave himself.

            “Okay, you need to get some work done.” He told himself, taking out his laptop.

            Four hours and very little progress later, Dipper gave up on his novel to open a new document. He started to write down different thoughts of his: new ideas for stories, how he felt in the confrontations of Bill, and reminders for his current novel. None of it was in any particular order and when he had finally emptied his mind there was over six and a half pages written. No wonder he had had a headache earlier.

            As he was closing down his laptop for the night, a knock on the door caught his attention. He looked at the clock. It read two-thirty in the morning. Dipper’s eyes widened. Whoever it was that was knocking at his door at this time was either drunk, in need of aid, or both. Checking the peephole, he was a bit shocked to see that it was Bill standing there, full clad in his pyjamas and a worried look on his face.

            “Bill? Is everything okay?” Dipper asked, opening the door.

            Silently, Bill shook his head. “Do you think I could stay the night?” he mumbled, seeming to shrink in on himself as he said it.

            “Of course,” Dipper said, moving aside to let him in. “What’s wrong?”

            Bill shook his head again as Dipper closed the door. “It’s a long story that I don’t exactly have the urge to recite just yet.” Bill’s voice was quiet and timid when he spoke. “If someone knocks on the door and asks if you’ve seen me, please just say that you haven’t, for both of our sakes.”

            Dipper led Bill over to his couch, putting a spare blanket into the blond’s arms. “Now you’ve got me really worried. What’s going on?”

            Bill sighed, “I got into a fight with my boyfriend and it got nasty, so I need a safe place to stay until it all calms down… for now at least.”

            “What do you mean ‘for now’?”

            “This is a normal occurrence. It’s not usually this bad though.”

            Dipper sat down beside Bill, concern in his eyes. “What usually happens?” he asked.

            Bill audibly gulped. It was clear that he was lying when he said that it usually wasn’t that bad, but Dipper wanted to know just how bad it actually was and just how concerned he had to be for the smaller male.

            “Let’s just say he doesn’t like what I do as a profession.” Bill muttered, looking down. “But I really like what I do. It’s fun and it brings in a lot of money. Add in the fact that I’m extremely good at what I do makes the stigma that accompanies it mean nothing to me.”

            Dipper grimaced. “I feel like there’s another but to the statement.”

            Bill nodded and tucked his knees beneath his chin. “I’m made to feel like shit about liking my line of work. I refuse to call it a job because jobs are tedious and boring whereas what I do, at least I find, is really fun and exciting.”

            “And what is it that you do?” Dipper asked, honestly curious about Bill’s line of work. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I promise that I won’t judge you for it.”

            Bill turned to look at Dipper, seeming both nervous and suspicious before blurting out: “I’m a drag queen.”

            Dipper smiled. “That’s awesome! It seems like it would be fun and I don’t doubt for a second that you’re amazing at it.”

            “Wait, you’re not… repelled or anything now that you know?” Bill asked, his nervousness replaced with a genuine curiosity.

            “Not at all. If anything I really want to some see one of your shows sometime.”

            At this Bill smiled, nerves seemingly all gone. Then there was another knock at the door and Bill was frozen in fear, eyes wide and his entire body shaking. Dipper leaned over and whispered in his ear: “Go to my room and stay there until I come to get you, okay?”

            Bill got up and silently ran to hide in Dipper’s room. Dipper waited until he heard his bedroom door close quietly before he opened the door to his apartment.

            “Have you seen this man?” a voice said as a picture of Bill was shoved in Dipper’s face. He pushed the picture down so he could see who was standing in his doorway.

            The man facing him was a little bit taller than Dipper and rather unassuming. He had red hair and hazel eyes with a thin frame. You wouldn’t immediately think that this man would be capable of making someone as confident as Bill cower like this.

            Dipper shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I saw him a few hours ago when I went to get my laundry before the laundry room was closing for the night but that’s it. I think he was going out for the night.” He lied.

            The man let out a noise that Dipper could only describe as a growl. “Well if you see him tell him that Luke is looking for him.” He said before whipping around and walking away.

            Dipper grimaced as he closed the door and locked it. He walked to his room with a sour taste in his mouth. Opening the door he saw that Bill was wrapped up in the blankets, trying to make himself look as small as possible.

            “Hey,” Dipper said, his voice soft and gentle. “He’s gone and I locked the door. I don’t think he’ll be back tonight.”

            Bill nodded and buried deeper into the blankets. Dipper walked over and sat down beside him.

            “You can sleep here in my bed tonight. I’ll stay on the couch.” He said, “And no arguing that, okay? I’m insisting on this.”

            Once again, Bill nodded but that was the only movement the blond made. Dipper sighed. He could tell this was going to be a long night

▲▼▲

            A creak and shuffling was what woke Dipper up the next day. Cracking open his eyes, he saw a small figure walking into the kitchen. Sitting up, he remembered what had happened the previous night. He had managed to get Bill to sleep, but just barely. The small blond kept being woken by nightmares in cold sweats, thus keeping Dipper up the majority of the night and early morning but he wasn’t going to complain if it meant that he was able to help his neighbour get a safe, although not very sound, sleep.

            Bill was still in his pyjamas from the previous night. His hair was mussed from a restless sleep and his eyes were red, apparently from crying, Dipper thought, noticing tear stains on his face. The blond was trying to reach something on one of the higher shelves in the pantry; standing on his tiptoes, a bit of his stomach being exposed as he stretched up.

            Even though Dipper found the sight endearing, reminding him of his time with his sister Mabel, he knew that he would feel like he was being cruel if he didn’t help Bill. Getting up he asked: “Need some help there?”

            Bill jumped violently, almost upsetting one of the shelves as he whipped around to see Dipper. When he recognized who was walking toward him, he relaxed immediately. “I was trying to get the pancake mix,” he croaked, his voice hoarse.

            Dipper chuckled at this. “You could have asked me to get it for you.”

            A small smile tugged at the corners of Bill’s mouth. “I didn’t want to wake you up…” he mumbled.

            “It wouldn’t have been a problem, Bill.” Dipper reached up and got the box of pancake mix, handing it to Bill with a gentle smile.

            Bill took the box and held it close while Dipper used his thumb to wipe the tear tracks away. The brunet felt his heart go heavy when he felt that they were fresh.

            “Hey, um, you know how you mentioned how you would like to see one of my shows some time?” Bill said quietly, looking up at Dipper. “Well, I’ve got a performance tonight if you’d like to come see it. I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to; it’s completely up to you. I wouldn’t be offe-”

            “I would love to come see your show, Bill.” Dipper cut in before Bill could rant any longer.

            A light showed up in the blond’s eyes. It was something that Dipper hadn’t seen yet in Bill. Something he definitely enjoyed seeing. It was quickly extinguished as a look of nervous realization washed over his face.

            “I have to get my makeup from my apartment and Luke’s looking for me. He doesn’t know I preform tonight, at least.” The blond tensed when Dipper put a hand on his shoulder.

            “I’ll go with you to get your makeup. You can bring it over here if you want so you don’t have to stay where Luke can find you any longer than you need as well.”

            Bill nodded thankfully. He and Dipper stood in a slightly awkward silence until the brunet cleared his throat to break it. “Well, um,” his voice cracked rather badly. “Would you like to run over there now or would you rather wait and have breakfast first?”

            “Can we have breakfast first?” Bill asked timidly, holding out the box of pancake mix.

            Dipper laughed. “Yeah, I think we can have breakfast first.”

            This caused Bill to smile. The small blond started to hurry around the kitchen, taking things out of cupboards and the fridge, setting it all up on the counter around a large mixing bowl. Bill was zipping around, mixing and whisking away. Dipper was doing his best to stay out of Bill’s way when he quickly dove into the kitchen to get plates, cutlery and condiments but the blond danced around him with grace. The brunet couldn’t help but watch in awe at how smooth Bill’s movements were. He was quickly snapped out of his trance when Bill started pouring the batter into a pan. Dipper didn’t remember seeing him take it out.

            Dipper set the table, and then shortly after, the food was served. The two of them ate in a comfortable silence. When they finished, Dipper took the plates and cutlery and put them in the sink while Bill put the condiments away. Nervously, Bill and Dipper went to get Bill’s makeup and anything else he might need, including his phone. They went in and out without incident, but that didn’t calm Bill down at all. If anything, the lack of confrontation made the smaller male’s nerves worse. He managed to do his makeup fine, no shaky lines or bad blending, but after he finished, he was a complete mess.

            In an attempt to calm Bill down, Dipper made some milk tea. It seemed to help a little bit, but Bill’s nerves still seemed to be wired for sound. He was still a total shaking mess, but he didn’t seem to be on the verge of crying anymore. Dipper took this as a good sign for the moment.

            When it was time for them to leave for Bill’s club, it seemed that his entire attitude had changed. He was walking with his head held a little high, his back a little straighter, and a fiery passion in his eyes that entranced Dipper.

            They drove to the club in complete silence. On arrival, Bill got Dipper in early and free of charge. Choosing a seat near the front, Dipper waited. He played on his phone a bit until the doors opened and people started to fill the place up.

            A heavy beat was thrumming though the speakers as the first performer came on stage. She gave a quick speech to welcome everyone and announced that there was a special main act this evening before she was replaced with another performer who was accompanied by green lights. Two more acts came on after hers, each accompanied by different coloured lighting, before the main act was announced.

            The mood of the music changed completely as the lights changed to gold and a light, slightly hysteric laugh filled the air. A blonde beauty stepped out from the right of the stage, an ethereal air about her.

            “Hello and welcome again,” she said to a rousing applause. “I’m Cipheress, and you’re about to see a magical show!”

▲▼▲


	2. Standing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Cipheress dances to at the start of this chapter is Casual Affair by Panic! at the Disco. You cna check it out on YouTube. I'll be making a playlist on there (Most likely) for this fanfic. I'll link to it in the notes when it's made, but until then you'll have to look up the songs on your own. Also, the song that Dipper sang a bit in the previous chapter was Photographs by Ed Sheeran. I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but oh well.

Dipper was amazed at the person who was standing on the stage before him. While Bill was beautiful to look at, Cipheress was on an otherworldly level of beauty. Her hair was styled in a loose up-do and her glittery gold dress clung to her like a second skin. The biggest differences between Bill and Cipheress were the height and level of confidence. Thanks to her high heels, Cipheress was more than a few inches taller, probably about Dipper’s height even. Also, while Bill had seemed rather timid at times, Cipheress oozed confidence. It was obvious that Dipper was going to have to learn two very difference parts of the same person if he was ever going to have a chance with the ethereal being of his infatuation.

            A strumming beat started as Cipheress handed the microphone to someone off stage, a small headset replacing it. Gold stilettos pranced around the stage while thin hips dipped and swayed with every note of the music. Cipheress’ voice filled the club, changing the mood with her tone.

            “Just lay in the atmosphere,

            A casual affair

            Lay in the atmosphere

            A casual affair, whoa!”

At the chorus Cipheress turned tightly on her heel and pointed at Dipper, their eyes meeting. Dipper’s breath caught in his throat, a rush of blood flowing south and causing his mind to haze slightly. He watched Cipheress dance around the stage, unable to look away even if he wanted to. She did two more songs after the first, paying no attention to Dipper in either. At the end of her performance, Cipheress bowed and walked backstage, being replaced with a cheery redhead.

            After the redhead, whose name was apparently Firecracker, someone tapped Dipper on the shoulder. Turning behind him, he was a tall lanky girl with pitch dark hair.

            “Cipheress wants to see you.” She said, her voice warm. “Follow me.”

            Nervously, Dipper got up and followed the girl to a door behind the bar.

            “Her dressing room is the first door on the right when you turn the corner.”

            Dipper nodded and continued walking. His stomach was turning and flipping and he had no way to calm it down. When he knocked on the door a familiar voice called: “It’s open!”

            “You, uh, wanted to see me?” Dipper asked, feeling very out of place around Cipheress.

            Cipheress was sitting on a small overstuffed couch against the far wall of the dressing room. She was out of the gold dress and was now wearing a soft white bathrobe. The most extravagant parts of her makeup had been replaced with more subtle colours and softer lines. Even without the show makeup, Dipper’s breath caught at how ethereal she looked. A soft tune played in the background.

            “Yeah,” Bill’s voice and persona was back in full swing, a heavy tone lacing his voice. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

            This confused Dipper. Bill was oddly serious compared to earlier.

            “What is it?” he asked.

            “I mean this in the nicest way, okay? I was to get that out there first.” Bill sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. “We can’t have any more contact unless it’s simple passerby stuff, okay? I can handle myself and I don’t need help.”

            Dipper felt like his world had begun to crash down. The only person that he had any possibility of being friends with was cutting ties with him. He forced himself to put on a façade of aloofness.

            “If you want to cut ties with me then that’s fine. It’s your choice and I don’t have a say in your life. But I’m not letting you deny a drive home. Plus your makeup is at my place, so you need to get that.” Dipper said, doing his best to ignore the painful tightness in his chest.

            Bill nodded, “Fine.”

            With that Dipper waited in the hall for Bill to change. They drove back to the apartments in uncomfortable and, to Dipper, pained silence. Bill went and got his makeup from Dipper’s bathroom, departing without another word. Once Bill had left, Dipper slumped against the back of his door, his face in his hands. He didn’t know why but he felt empty. His chest ached with a strange hollowness that he had never experienced before. His vision blurred a bit through his fingers, and his hands felt wet suddenly. When did he start crying? Why was he even crying? Nothing made sense at the moment and it made Dipper frustrated. He hated being confused and at that point in time, everything was confusing. His feelings, his situation with Bill, his work, the evening before and that day, all of it was a jumbled mess in his brain but one thing stood out above the rest. He had just been told by his only friend that they couldn’t have contact anymore.

            Thinking that and setting it in stone made a sob choke out of Dipper’s throat. After the first one, the rest followed. He sat like that for hours; crying at his front door. He cried until the first rays of dawn started shining through his curtains. After that, he started moving as if on autopilot. He felt nothing as he went to the kitchen and washed the dishes. His usual day passed without feeling anything except that hollowness in his core. If he were to give it a proper description, he would have to say that it felt like someone took out his heart and left an empty space there, while putting pressure on his chest.

            It didn’t get better after that day either. For weeks, Dipper functioned on autopilot. Doing groceries for only necessities, choking down at least one meal a day, and changing his clothes, none of it seemed important anymore. None of it seemed like it was normal, but just instinctive. He hadn’t even seen Bill since the fateful night, but every time he thought of the blond, his heart seemed to return for a moment, a mixture of warmth and pain in equal amounts flowing though him.

            It was a month after their last encounter and Dipper caught a glimpse of Bill bringing his laundry back. The blond looked terrible. He had dark, deep bags under his eyes and his previously shimmering hair was dull and limp. His eyes struck a large chord of worry in Dipper though. The bright gold pools had been brought down to a dull, murky, yellowish colour. His lanky form had become bony and appeared malnourished. He seemed to droop when he walked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. In short, he looked as bad as Dipper felt.

            After the glimpse Dipper had caught, there was no other sight for another month or two and the weather was getting colder.

            Dipper was in a park, sitting there with a notebook, jotting down things that he might be able to use in his novel. Nothing really caught his eye except for a small blond walking with a taller redhead. Immediately, Dipper noticed many things about the two. First, Bill seemed to be making himself as small as he possibly could to avoid catching anyone’s eye, though Dipper had come to terms with the fact that he would always notice Bill no matter what. Second, the redhead, Luke, was walking with a presence that seemed to dominate over Bill’s by a landslide. And third, Bill was noticeably freezing and Luke didn’t seem to care.

            Surprising himself, Dipper got up and closed his book before walking over to them. It was the first time he had talked to anyone face to face that wasn’t his sister in months. And of course it was probably going to start a fight.

            Luke looked at Dipper walking over to him and Bill with a disdainful look. “Can I help you?” he asked, sneering.

            “Actually, you can’t. But, I think that you can help him a bit.” Dipper nodded towards Bill, noticing the blond shrink a bit. “It’s clear that he’s freezing, and you won’t even put an arm around him or lend him your sweater to help him warm up a bit. Rather a dick move, don’t you think?”

            “Excuse you?” Luke spat, “You think you can tell me how to treat my partner?”

            Dipper shook his head, noticing that the hollowness that was in him seemed a bit less now. “No, I’m simply stating that you’re being a bit of a dick.”

            At this, Bill looked up. He looked worse off than the last time Dipper saw him, but there was a small something in his eyes that made Dipper’s heart warm up a bit.

            Luke rolled his eyes. “Does it seem like I care what you think? You’re just a nosy prick and you should learn how to mind your own business from time to time.”

            “Well, when the person that was so warm when he and I met looks like he’s been through hell and back in your presence then I think that’s something that I can get a bit involved in.” Dipper said, confidence flowing though him.

            At that, Bill stood a bit straighter. Dipper realized what the light in his eyes had been. Hope. Bill had been hopeful when Dipper showed up. That’s when something else clicked in the brunet’s mind. When Bill had told Dipper that he didn’t want to talk anymore, it had been a test. Bill had deflated in the moment that Dipper told him that they didn’t have to talk, and Dipper had only just realized it. Bill never wanted to cut ties with Dipper, he had wanted Dipper to stand up and say what he really thought.

            “You have no say in this, you asshole. Now, just leave us alone and get back to whatever the fuck it was you were doing before.” Luke scoffed and turned away. “Come on, Bill. We have shopping to do still.”

            Dipper looked at Bill and nodded. It was time that Bill tried to stand up to the jerk that had been pushing him around for so long. Bill gulped and stood his ground, closing his eyes tightly. “No…” he said quietly.

            Luke turned around with wide eyes. The look on his face was actually frightening, even to Dipper. No wonder Bill had closed his eyes. “Excuse me? Did you not hear me? Let’s go, we still have things to do.”

            Bill took a deep breath. It seemed that Dipper’s presence alone gave him more confidence. "No, _you_ have things to do. I’m not going with you. Pine tree here is right, I’m freezing and I want to go home.” He said, opening his eyes, a fire burning inside them that Dipper hadn’t seen in a while.

            Luke glared at Dipper and then at Bill. “We. Are. Going. Now.” He snapped quietly.

            “No. _We_ aren’t. _You_ are.” Bill said, emphasising his point. “I’m sick of being dragged along with you whenever you need something to show that you’re supposedly stronger. I’m done with being your punching bag, both mentally and physically. You’re a coward who uses other people for his own benefit. Newsflash, people are not property. No kindly go fuck yourself with a cactus.” A small snarky smile was shot at the redhead at the end.

            Luke stomped up to Dipper. “You aren’t going to enjoy it if you see me again, so you better pray that you don’t run into me ever again.” He hissed.

            Dipper smiled pleasantly. “Oh, I think it will be the other way around. You see, I spent my childhood chopping wood and carrying stock up to the attic and back down again, and I still have that strength. You’ll regret it if you pick a fight with me.”

            And with that, Luke stormed off, cursing and swearing under his breath the whole way. Bill looked over at Dipper who was waving sarcastically at the retreating redhead. Feeling eyes on him, Dipper looked down at the blond.

            “Welcome back.” They said in sync. Neither was exactly sure why they were saying that, or what they were welcoming the other back to, but it felt like the right thing to say.

            “Want to go back to the apartments and warm up? I’ve got a new recipe for hot chocolate that I’ve been meaning to try out, and I think I know a good test subject.” Bill said, rubbing the back of his neck.

            “You know how I feel about your cooking, even if it was just two meals, they were the best meals I’ve ever had.” Dipper chuckled. “Oh, also, take this.” He took off his jacket and put it around Bill’s shoulders.

            As they began to walk back to the apartments, Dipper noticed something. The empty feeling was gone, replaced with a radiating warmth.

▲▼▲

            Now that Bill and Dipper were talking again, the days flew by in each other’s presence. They learned a lot about the other during their time together. Dipper got to know more about Bill and Bill’s brother, Will. It was when Mabel made a surprise visit to Dipper that really got things started between the two.

            Bill had been staying over at Dipper’s on the nights that he performed, mainly because Dipper was his ride to and from the club. This meant that the two of them usually ended up spending most of the next day in the company of each other. It was one of those days, when they were just sitting around on Dipper’s laptop, that a surprise knock came.

            Dipper, confused, went and checked the peephole, both he and Bill were still on guard thanks to Luke, and what he saw had him throwing open the door. He grabbed his sister in a bear hug before he saw a familiar dolled-up face behind her.

            “Pacifica!?” Dipper exclaimed, letting go of Mabel. “What took you so long to come visit me?” he said, mock scorn in his voice.

            She chuckled, “I’ve been out and about with your sister. Why didn’t you keep in touch?”

            Dipper glanced behind him at a befuddled Bill. Unfortunately, Pacifica caught his quick glance and raised an eyebrow.

            “Oh my god, Paz, not like that!” he groaned, hiding his face as it got steadily redder.

            Mabel started laughing, pushing past Dipper and making herself welcome. She was shortly followed by Pacifica, who was smirking at Dipper still.

            “Hello! I’m Mabel, Dipper’s twin sister.” Mabel had gone straight to Bill, just as Dipper expected, while Pacifica hung back a bit. “I’m guessing you’re Bill. Dipper never shuts up about you when we talk on the phone.”

            Bill had shrunk into the back of the couch. Dipper probably should have warned Mabel about Bill’s shot nerves and how he’s rather shy if you’re a busy person. The brunet walked over after closing the door and put a hand on Bill’s shoulder. Right away the small bag of nerves calmed and relaxed. Dipper started massaging Bill’s shoulders to keep himself from flitting around his apartment. Noticing what he doing, Pacifica’s smirk grew, causing both Bill and Dipper to blush.

            “It’s nice to meet you, Bill.” Pacifica said, he smirk turning into a kind smile. “I’m Pacifica, but you can call me Paz.”

            Bill nodded. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Bill Cipher.” He said, seeming to have calmed down much more, though he was still ridiculously tense. “You’re Mabel, huh? You’re exactly how Pine Tree here described you. Your personality’s kind of like a shooting star, isn’t it? That’s what I’ll call you, Shooting Star!”

            Pacifica made an odd face when she heard Mabel’s nickname. Bill wasted no time in giving her and even more ridiculous one.

            “And you’re going to be Llama, for a multitude of reasons.” He stated, leaving little room for argument.

            One of the things that Dipper noticed about Bill was that he loved to give nicknames. Sadly, most of those nicknames were rather ridiculous and they tended to stick. Pacifica’s nickname was probably the weirdest one that Dipper had heard yet, and he was called Pine Tree. He also noticed that nobody questioned this habit that Bill had, or the nickname they were given; nobody but Pacifica that is.

            “And those reasons are?” she asked, looking offended.

            Bill just gestured to all of her in response.

            Pacifica opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by Mabel. “How about we go out for lunch?”  She suggested, clapping her hands together.

            Dipper and Bill groaned in unison, looking down at their pyjamas. After a few minutes, Bill sighed.

            “I could make something instead.” He suggested. “I really don’t feel like going out, at least for the moment. Maybe we can go out for dinner later.”

            “That sounds good to me.” Mabel said, smiling at the boys. “By the way, you guys… when did you wake up?”

             Dipper and Bill looked at each other. “About twenty minutes before you showed up,” Dipper said, expressionless.

            “What!?” Mabel exclaimed. “Why did you guys sleep so late into the day?”

            Bill looked at Dipper, seemingly trying to gauge if he could tell Mabel and not get a big reaction. Dipper nodded at him to signal that it would be fine.

            “We didn’t get home until about four in the morning because I had a show.” Bill said, leaning forwards as Dipper moved his hands to his shoulder blades and massaging there.

            “You’re really tense the morning after you have a show, by the way.” Dipper stated calmly. “We should probably get a muscle relaxant and that you can put on before you go to sleep, or at least a hot water bottle.”

            “Show? What do you mean?” Pacifica asked, a curiosity piquing her voice.

            Bill rolled his eyes. “I was getting to that, you didn’t have to ask,” there was a mock exasperation in his voice. “I’m a Drag Queen. I sing and perform at a club a few times a week, and Pine Tree here gives me rides to and from the nights I go. We usually get back really late, so I end up just crashing here a lot.”

            Mabel gasps, “Do you need any help with your costumes and outfits?”

            Sipper sighed, smiling. He should have known that Mabel would want to help with clothing, it was in her nature.

            “No, I’ve got it covered.” Bill responded, waving his hand nonchalantly. “I’ve got tons of costumes in stock at the club and in my own apartment ready to go.”

            Mabel seemed to deflate a bit when her help was denied. She had always enjoyed helping others, especially if it involved things like glitter or costumes. She was just that kind of person.

            “Anyways,” Dipper said, “How about breakfast, lunch, whatever it is.”

            “What should I make?” Bill asked, getting up and rolling his shoulders to loosen them further. “If I don’t have the ingredients here, which is unlikely because I’ve been forcing him to buy better and more things when shopping, then I’ll most likely have it at my place.”

            “What about those double chocolate pancakes that you made a while ago?” Dipper suggested. “Those were really good.”

            “Yeah, I think I can do that. You know the recipe book I use, go get it while I get the supplies I need to make them.” Bill walked to the kitchen, grabbing an apron off a rack on the wall.

            The usual organized chaos ensued there on out. Mabel and Pacifica stared in awe at how Dipper and Bill spun and flitted around each other in the kitchen. Dipper had long since learned to maneuver around Bill in the kitchen. They passed each other things they needed occasionally, working with and around each other as needed. It was an impressive feat for those who weren’t used to seeing people work so naturally with each other.

            That day passed rather simply. They ate brunch (Mabel was the one to dub it that), then the boys went and got dressed and the four went out for the day. They went shopping, visited old monuments they loved from their childhood, and ate dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was getting late, and Mabel and Pacifica had to go back to their hotel. Dipper and Bill saw them off with light hearts before returning to the apartments. When they got back, Bill seemed a bit awkward. Dipper tried to ignore it, but when Bill refused to look at him for the third time, he knew something was up.

            “Bill is everything okay?” Dipper asked. “You seem off.”

            The blond nodded, staying silent. The blond hadn’t spoken since they saw Mabel and Pacifica off at the restaurant, and Dipper was getting more and more concerned by the second.

            “Look me in the eye and say that.” Dipper said. He had long since gotten used to the jolt and adrenaline rush he felt when they made eye contact. But it still was a trill he loved and left him breathless.

            He prepared for the rush when he saw Bill turn his head, but it didn’t come. Bill had turned and promptly buried his face in Dipper’s chest, surprising the brunet. Dipper opened his mouth a took a breath, about to ask what was wrong, but Bill just shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about it.

            Dipper lay down on the couch and pulled Bill onto his lap, holding him there. This wasn’t a new occurrence, so Dipper knew what to do. It had happened once before, and that was when Luke had shown up at Dipper’s door while he and Bill were having dinner, demanding to talk to Bill, who was adamantly refusing. It seemed that Bill got like this when he had a sensory overload during the day at some point and just needed to cool down and relax his mind.

            After some time, Dipper spoke up. “I think that going to bed would be a good idea. I know I’m not going to get any of my work done, and it’s been a long and exhausting day.”

            Bill nodded in response, getting off Dipper so the brunet could get up. Dipper started to walk to his bedroom, but stopped after a moment. Looking behind him, he saw Bill still standing in the middle of the living room. Bill’s eyes were blank and glassy and he was staring blankly ahead of him. Sighing, Dipper walked back over to Bill, knowing another restless night was on its way.

            “Come on, you can stay in my bed tonight.” He said, putting a hand on Bill’s shoulder. Bill looked up at him. "I don't want to make you sleep out here.” He said quietly in response.

            This made Dipper laugh, “We can share my bed. It’s big enough for two.” He suggested.

            Bill paused, seemingly thinking about it. Eventually he shrugged, unable to think of any other ideas.

            It being decided, the two men trudged off to bed. In the bedroom though, more confusion ensued. There was a slight argument on who got which side of the bed, and they couldn’t find Bill’s pyjamas for the life of them.

            “I put them in the top drawer on the right. I remember this clearly.” Bill said, sitting on the edge of Dipper’s bed. “You probably moved them.”

            Dipper rolled his eyes. “Or they’re in the laundry with the stuff from yesterday and this morning.”

            This made the blond sigh. “Why didn’t we think of this in the first place?” he asked.

            “We’re tired and that’s not something we’d usually think of even when fully awake.”

            “Point taken”

            Dipper sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “You can borrow a pair of mine tonight,” he said. “I don’t want you to be wearing dirty clothes when there’s a ton of perfectly clean clothes that are free to wear.”

            “Would your clothes even fit me? You’re a giant compared to me.”

            Holding up a folded pair of boxers and a plaid flannel, Dipper smiled. “There’s only one way to find out.”

            Bill took them and disappeared into the bathroom down the hall. A few minutes later, he re-emerged, looking extremely tiny in Dipper’s flannel. With an indignant huff, he curled up on the side they dubbed as his for the night as Dipper went off the bathroom to do his evening routine. When he went back to his room, he found Bill fast asleep. He lay down next to the blond, back to back, and dozed off quickly.

            That night though, Bill dreamt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot out of me. Sorry it was so dialog heavy, but I needed it to be to make up for the lack thereof in the next chapter.
> 
> The background song for when they were in Cipheress' changeroom is Postcards by Ed Sheeran (there's a lot of Ed Sheeran in this fic tbh). I should have the beginning of the playlist up when I'm done with chapter 3. I'll post a link to it in the end notes then. The reason that I haven't made it yet is because there aren't enough songs to make a satisfactory one. I might include some of the songs I listen to that help the mood. They aren't in the fic. It just sets the mood right.
> 
> Warning ahead of time: the next chapter is from Bill's POV and it's more of a flashback chapter of his time with Luke. A very large part of it is at least. The end should be back to happy(ish) Billdip morning routines.
> 
> I'm selling my soul and time to this fic and barely passing French for all of you.


	3. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where it starts to get trigger-y. This isn't a chapter used to further the plot a lot, but more to understand Bill and what those months apart were like for him. If you want to skip the major triggers go the the first set of triangles. After the second set, that's where we go back to Dipper's POV and the main timeline of plot.

It was dark in Bill’s apartment. He had gotten home and went straight for his liquor. He rarely ever touched anything harder than beer, but he certainly had a very large collection of it. Fishing out a half-empty bottle of whiskey, he made his way to the couch and fell onto it. Bill knew he was going to regret not taking his makeup off before drinking but he was in no mood to put effort into self-care at the moment.

            He replayed the scene from the club in his mind, pain shooting to his heart at the memory of Dipper in those moments. Dipper had been calm when Bill had told him that he wanted to cut contact, he was pleasant even. What Bill really that horrible company?

            Deciding that it would be easier to forget his troubles than face them, he took another drink. When he started to feel a buzz come on, he decided that sleep would be the best idea. Putting the whiskey on the coffee table, Bill trudged his way to his dingy bathroom to wash the makeup off.

            Bill looked at himself in the mirror in disdain. Even with the makeup, there were visible bags under his eyes, though he managed to convince his half-drunk self that it was just the lighting. Taking a warm cloth and soap, he scrubbed his face, making sure to get every crevice. He scrubbed until his face felt raw. When he finally couldn’t make another excuse for him to keep scrubbing, he splashed his face with cool water to help with the raw burning. He took a quick peek in the mirror to check how bad of a condition his face was in and was greeted with a nasty surprise. His entire face was splotchy red, worse than it had ever been before.

            Whether it was the pain from his raw cheeks, or the pain settling into his chest from the events prior to his arrival home, he had begun to cry. Slumping to the ground, back against the cupboards under the sink, he sobbed silently. His chest heaved and tears poured from his eyes, burning as they rolled down his face. Hopelessness had made itself present, though it wasn’t exactly welcome, in him. His body felt heavy and he had a headache from crying so long.

            The buzz of the alcohol had worn off, only to be replaced with a hollow, pressing emptiness. Trudging to his room, Bill flicked the light switch to reveal a devastating scene. His drawers had been taken out of his dressers and upended onto his floor. Everything that had been on top of his dressers was now scattered about. The blankets on his bed had been untucked and the pillows were in various places throughout his room. He didn’t have to wonder who had done this to him; there was only one person he knew that would.

            Reality came crashing down upon him, causing him to drop to his knees. The one person who he thought that he would be able to trust had left without a fight. He wasn’t strong enough to get out of this situation himself; Luke had proven it to him many times over. Dipper had been a possible lifeline for him, a possible friend and way out, and he had left Bill. Bill had never felt as hopeless ad he did now.

            Getting up, Bill went and collected his pillows from around the room before lying down in bed and pulling his mess of blankets onto him. He lay there for a long time before falling into a restless sleep.

            The next morning, Bill was woken up by a loud, insistent knocking on his apartment door. His head pounding, Bill struggled out of the blankets that had tangled around him and went to answer the door, still in his night clothes.

            “Hello?” he said, leaning against the door frame, his eyes squinted. Looking up at the figure standing there, his eyes widened. The person standing there wasn’t who he expected. He expected to see bright red hair and green eyes staring down at him, but instead he was greeted by a concerned, blue-eyes version of his own face. Before he knew what was happening, Will was pushing past him into his apartment. “Will, what-?”

            “What happened? My twin senses kicked in and I took a last minute flight for a little while here.” He said, straight faced. “You can’t hide that something crushing happened from me.”

            Closing the door, Bill sighed and rubbed his temples. He really should have expected something like this to happen. Whether a Skype call or a visit, Will always showed up when Bill was feeling like this. He always claimed it as Twin Senses or Twinlepathy.

            “Well? I need answers, Bill.”

            “You want to know that badly? I ruined a possibly very promising friendship because I felt the need to do a stupid loyalty test after knowing him for maybe twenty-four hours, if that.” Bill felt himself choking up as he said it, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. He clenched his fists, nails digging into the palms of his hands enough to draw a bit of blood. Will noticed and pulled his twin into a tight hug. The moment his brother’s arms were around him, Bill broke down. His knees gave out and he heaved into Will’s chest, clutching his last remaining lifeline tightly. “Shush… it’ll be alright. It’s okay, I’ve got you. I’m here.” Will whispered, holding his twin tightly as he sobbed.

            They were like that for a while; the two holding each other, reminding each other that they still had one another; a fact that Bill had forgotten the previous evening. When Bill cried himself out, he got up and walked to the kitchen, opening cupboards and taking things out. He put everything onto the counters before stopping and putting everything back, rethinking it.

            “Hey, what are you doing?” Will asked him, observing the strange behavior.

            Bill shrugged, “I don’t have the energy to cook right now.”

            “Well, let me cook then.”

            “But you don’t-”

            Will pointed at Bill’s face, getting almost uncomfortably close. “Don’t pull that crap with me. I lived with you for eighteen years of my life; I know full well how your kitchen works.”

            After a bit more arguing, Bill conceded. Really, he just didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. He trudged over to the couch; letting Will have full access to the kitchen and everything in it.

            With the only noise in the apartment coming from the kitchen, Bill started to feel the emptiness return. He glanced over at his sound system, tempted to go and put on one of his newer CD’s. That idea was knocked from his head when a plate was set on the coffee table in front of him.

            “Bacon and eggs?” Bill questioned, poking at it with his fork.

            Will sat down next to him and huffed. “I’m not a five star chef like _some_ people, so _excuse_ me if it’s not up to par with your standards.”

            Bill shook his head. “It’s not that I’m disappointed or anything, it’s just… thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone put their own time into taking care of me.”

            A small, sad smile showed itself in Will’s face. “You know my door’s always open for you, right? You don’t even have to call ahead, just come on out.”

            “I can’t just fly across the country each time I’m feeling down, Will.” Bill said, crunching on a piece of bacon. “I have a job that I can’t just cancel on.” He looked down, an air of melancholy and sadness about him. “My job is one of the only escapes that I have…”

            Will put his hand on Bill’s back, looking sad. “There’s such a thing as Skype, you know.”

            Bill nodded, still looking down. He didn’t speak for the rest of breakfast.

            After that, the two brothers worked together to tidy up Bill’s apartment. Will just about ran out and beat someone when Bill told him who had most likely destroyed his room. It took a while for them to get it all done, taking a break for dinner later in the afternoon, but eventually they did it.

            When the day was done, Will left for his hotel, a promise to return the next day after lunch. Bill stood in his empty apartment, the feeling of loneliness resettling in him. He had gotten things done today, but only because of Will. Most of his success was thanks to his brother. The only thing he was naturally good at was dancing; even his cooking skills were developed by his mother.

            That night passed almost the same as the previous one; save for the scrubbing his face raw and falling asleep quickly.

            For hours, Bill lay there in bed, his eyes burning in their sockets. He couldn’t seem to be able to close them because _what’s the point_. At some point, exhaustion almost won, but a sharp ringing from his phone brought his weary consciousness back.

            Checking the message on his screen, he felt his stomach drop.

                        Message from: Luke

                                    I’m coming over.

▲▼▲

            The next two weeks passed the same as the first two days: Will came over, they cleaned and cooked together, then Will went to the hotel and Luke would come over. Bill wouldn’t get to sleep until Luke would leave at close to seven in the morning. He got about three to four hours of sleep a night, sometimes less.

            The day that Will went back to Florida, things went downhill even further if that was even possible. Bill changed his set list to consist of more Marina and the Diamonds and only a few other artists. He tried songs that were sending slightly subliminal messages to and about Luke.

            It was about a week and a half after Will left that he caught a glimpse of Dipper. He was bringing his laundry in, and before he got into his apartment, the brunet had left his own.

            Dipper looked like hell, though he doubted he looked much better himself. The taller man looked disgruntled. His usually shiny, smooth hair was dull and sticking up in odd places. There were deep, dark bags under his eyes and his usually well-pressed button-up was wrinkled. His bright eyes had dimmed and looked pained. Looking at him, Bill noted that Dipper looked how he felt.

            After that glimpse, Bill didn’t see the beautiful brunet for another two months. Each time he left his apartment, he hoped that he would see Dipper, but his hopes went unbidden…

            It was a cold autumn day, and Luke had woken him up and rushed him out without letting him grab his coat. He shivered alongside the ginger all morning. They were downtown, checking different stores for something Luke wanted (Bill wasn’t really paying attention) and he was freezing. They had been out all morning in the frigid air, and Bill’s joints and muscles protested with every step he took. He looked over at the Central Park and couldn’t help but think how much Dipper would love the colours of the leaves. Maybe he would get inspiration for his story from them, he though, looking ahead of him. Realizing that Luke was giving him a look, Bill shrunk in on himself.

            Passing by the main path, Bill was surprised to hear Luke’s voice directed at someone else.

            “Can I help you?” Luke sneered. Bill glanced up to see who was getting such a tone, to find the object of his thoughts standing there. Dipper looked a lot better than the last time he had seen him. Not wanting to be caught staring, he didn’t hold his gaze for more than a second. There was a warmth bubbling up in him, or at least it was starting to.

            “Actually, you can’t; but I think you can help him a bit.” Dipper said, a slight nervous edge to his voice. Bill shrunk in on himself a bit more, slightly embarrassed but mostly thankful. “It’s clear that he’s freezing, and you won’t even put an arm around him, or lend him your sweater to help him warm up a bit. Rather a dick move don’t you think?”

            Bill gulped, anticipating Luke’s acidic tone. “Excuse you?” the ginger spat, “You think you can tell me how to treat my partner?”

            He heard Dipper’s hair rustle against his jacket. Ill guessed he shook his head when he heard him speak. “No, I’m simply stating that you’re being a bit of a dick.”

            Unable to keep his eyes of the man who was defending him any longer, Bill looked up and made eye contact, feeling a welcoming jolt in his heart. An inside force warmed him up with the belief that Dipper could help him. He spared a glance at Luke to find him rolling his eyes.

            “Does it seem like I care what you think? You’re just a nosy prick and you should learn how to mind your own business from time to time.” Luke said, tilting his head to look down at Dipper.

            Without missing a beat, Dipper gave a response that filled Bill with a sense of courage and hope: “Well when the person that was so warm when he and I met looks like he’s been through hell and back in your presence, then I think that’s something I can get a bit involved in.” Dipper even stood straighter when he said it.

            Their eyes met for the briefest of moments and an understanding washed over the two of them. Bill realized that Dipper had been devastated when he told him to not keep up contact, but he was too polite to deny what Bill seemed to have wanted. He hadn’t wanted to push himself on Bill and make him uncomfortable. Dipper was too nice for his own good.

Luke’s voice snapped him from his thoughts.

            “You have no say in this, you asshole. No, just leave us alone and get back to whatever the fuck it was you were doing before’ Luke scoffed and turned back to the front, aligned with the main sidewalk. “Come on, Bill. We have shopping to do still.”

            He caught Dipper’s gaze as the brunet nodded, the message of _‘I’m here to back you up so go ahead’_ coming through loud and clear. Taking a deep breath, he gulped and shut his eyes tightly, knowing that if he saw Luke’s face, he’d break. “No…” he said, voice soft.

            He heard Dipper gulp and knew the look he was getting. “Excuse me? Did you not hear me? Let’s go, we still have things to do.” Luke growled.

            He took another deep breath to help calm his racing heart. Thinking of Dipper and knowing that he would protect him, he spoke again, keeping his voice steady. “No, you have things to do. I’m not going with you. Pine Tree here is right; I’m freezing and I want to go home.” He opened his eyes, setting his face in an expression of defiance.

            Luke glared at each of them in turn. “We. Are. Going. Now.” He hissed, eyes boring into Bill’s with a terrifying intensity.

            Getting sick of it, Bill felt like it was time to get to the point and leave no room for discussion on it. “No. _We_ aren’t. _You_ are. I’m sick of being dragged along with you whenever you need something to show you’re supposedly stronger. I’m done with being your punching bag; both mentally and physically. You’re a coward who used other people for his own benefit. Newsflash: people aren’t property. Now, kindly go fuck yourself with a cactus.” He shot his snarkiest smile at Luke, who promptly turned the same shade as his hair.

            Luke then stormed up to Dipper and Bill got ready to defend the brunet if needed. Luckily though, he only hissed something that Bill was too far away to hear. With an unheard response, Luke stormed off, spewing curses under his breath as he retreated. He looked up at Dipper who was waving sarcastically and couldn’t help but feel ever so happy that he was back in his life.

            Dipper met his gaze with one of equal warmth. “Welcome back,” they said in unison. Bill didn’t question why he had said that until later, but for the moment, it seemed right to say.

            Blushing and awkwardly rubbing his neck, Bill said: “Want to go back to the apartments and warm up? I’ve got a new recipe for hot chocolate that I’ve been meaning to try out, and I think I know a good test subject.” He grinned up at Dipper when he finished.

            The brunet chuckled. “You know how I feel about your cooking. Even if it was just two meals, they were the best meals I’ve ever had.” He paused for a moment, taking off his coat. “Oh, also, take this.”

            The warmth of Dipper’s body still clung to the jacket that was being wrapped around his shoulders, and he couldn’t help but nuzzle into it as they began the walk back to the apartments…

▲▼▲

            Dipper woke with a start when something started thrashing about in his bed. Sitting up, he tried to get a hand on Bill’s shoulder to shake him awake. He called the blond’s name and jerked his shoulder, forcing him into the waking world.

            “Holy crap, Bill. Are you okay?” was the first thing that came out of his mouth. The second was: “Come here, you’re fine. I’ve got you. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here”

            He held the shaking Bill close, petting his hair and continuing the reassuring cooing. It took about ten minutes to calm Bill down from his night terror. Dipper knew there was only one person who scared Bill to that extent, and that was Luke. He didn’t want to say that he hated anyone, really, but he couldn’t deny that he loathed that man for what he had done to Bill.

            Bill had been opening up to Dipper about just what Luke had done, and each time something new came up, a new ball of hatred joined with the rest. Bill had never done anything to deserve what he got, that Dipper was certain of.

            When Bill finally calmed down, the two went into the living room. Dipper put on a piano track that Bill fond of, and made them both tea. They sat on the couch together, the only noise in the room coming from the speakers’ flowing piano. When Bill finished his tea, he did something that Dipper didn’t expect.

            Bill stood up, held his hand out to Dipper, and said: “Dance with me?”

            “What?” Dipper asked, perplexed. “I, uh, don’t know how to dance…”

            “I’ll teach you then.” Bill chuckled, taking Dipper’s hand once he set the tea down.

            Dipper was pulled to his feet and to the center of the living room. Bill placed one of Dipper’s hands on his shoulder, gripping the other with the hand that wasn’t currently on Dipper’s waist.

            Bill led them in slow circles around the living room, the two of them close together. It was comforting, the music and steady steps. Dipper followed Bill’s lead with a relative ease, tripping up only once or twice. When the song ended, followed by one of an even slower pace, Dipper pulled Bill against his chest, slowly rotating them on the spot. Bill’s arms wrapped around Dipper’s waist while the taller male’s arms wrapped around Bill’s shoulders. Dipper couldn’t help but notice just how well they slotted together. It seemed to him that they easily could have been made from complementary molds. Being like this felt so right, so natural, and Dipper didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, songs do end and they eventually had to let the other go.

            Standing there in the living room, they met each other’s eyes. This time though, Dipper felt a comforting warmth spread though his body, starting from his heart, not the usual jolt. Bill was the one who broke eye contact first, looking over at the digital clock under the T.V screen.

            “It’s probably too early to be functioning properly, isn’t it?” he asked, looking back to Dipper who had turned to look at the time as well. It was almost three in the morning. The brunet shrugged. “Probably is,” he said.

            “Then I have an excuse for what I’m about to do,” Bill said, taking a step closer to Dipper and pulling his face down using his shirt collar.

            A small noise of shock escaped Dipper as soft lips pressed against his own. Realizing what was happening, he felt his heart soaring as he kissed back. They stayed like that, kissing each other, noses at awkward positions, until they ran out of breath. Dipper was once again holding Bill against him. Looking at the blond, he saw that his lips were plump from the kiss and his eyes were blown wide in amazement. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he looked similar, going by the burning in his cheeks and the tingling in his lips.

            At the same time, the two of them started beaming before bursting into laughter. It was a relieved laugh; one that showed just how scared they had been of rejection up until that moment. They laughed until they were crying and gasping for air. It was an elated atmosphere; each bringing joy to the other just by being there.

            When they finally calmed down enough to form proper words, Dipper nodded in the direction of his room. “Are you ready to go back to bed?” He asked, still grinning.

            Bill nodded in response, a smile on his face and a light in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ll be waking up in a fit for a while.” He said as they walked back to bed.

            Dipper knew that it was true, because he could feel the pure bliss just radiating off of Bill at the moment. He knew they could make it through together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter was a bit shorter, but only because I was in a rut and was feeling how Bill was at the start. I put some real strong emotions into this one, so I hope that makes up a bit for it. Also, I really hope the happy end the chapter was a good counter for the depressing beginning. Also, no playlist yet just because I don't have time to make it. I'm uploading this in a bit of a rush, because I have something to do later.
> 
> Here are the songs in Bill's new setlist and who they're by: Picture (Kid Rock ft. Sheryl Crow), Afire Love (Ed Sheeran), Starring Role, Hypocrates, Fear and Loathing (Marina and the Diamonds)
> 
> And this is the piano song I listened to while writing most of this chapter, particularly the end: Rain has Gone (Dennis Kuo)
> 
> ALSO: I absolutely adore seeing comments on things more than anything and getting feedback about what you guys think! I will respond (Even if it's delayed) to most of them. I only wont respond if I don't know how to react to the comment, usually I just get really flustered when I see praising ones.
> 
> EDIT (5/12/15): The update schedule is now every second Sunday. The chapters will be uploaded by 18:00 EST (New York City time/Toronto time)


	4. Dreaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the update days to Sundays. The notes are going to get a lot shorter unless I have some big news for the story to tell you guys. Thank you all who are reading this, I've got over 500 views and it makes me feel so proud. This chapter litterally killed me so I hope you like it.

The next morning, Dipper woke up before Bill. Wanting to surprise him, he silently crept out of his room and into the kitchen, beginning to prepare breakfast. He took out a bowl of leftover pancake mix from the fridge and his waffle maker. Once he had gotten the waffles started, he took a pan and some bacon and began the frantic cooking.

            It could have been the smell of the food, or it could have been the amount of noise that Dipper was making, but Bill trudged into the kitchen just as Dipper finished making breakfast. The small blond walked up to Dipper as he was serving the food onto the plates and wrapped his arms around his waist, startling the taller male and causing him to almost drop the pan he was holding.

            “Christ, Bill, you scared the living hell out of me!” Dipper exclaimed, putting the pan down on the counter and turning to face Bill, “How are you so quiet when walking around?”

            Bill Just shrugged in response, probably too tired to give a verbal one at the moment. Letting out a light chuckle, Dipper gave Bill a quick squeeze before grabbing the plates and ushering him out to the dining table. Setting the plates down, they sat down opposite of each other. Bill looked at the waffles suspiciously. “Did you use the leftover batter from the pancakes to make these?” he questioned.

            Taking a bite out of his waffle, Dipper smiled embarrassedly, “I wanted to keep it from being wasted. Well, that, and I can’t cook from scratch,” he said.

            This got a chuckle from Bill, “Creative use. I didn’t know you even had a waffle maker. Why didn’t you take it out until now?”

            “Forgot that I had it,” was all Dipper said, as his mouth was full of waffle.

The two finished their breakfast in comfortable silence before Bill went back to his own apartment to get dressed. While waiting for Bill, Dipper got ready for the day and worked on his novel some. He had a decent amount of time before Bill came back; the blond had told him that he was going to take a shower as well.

At one point or another, Dipper’s mind trailed off of his story and to the events of the early morning. He wasn’t sure if it was actually Bill who had made the decision to kiss him, or if it was his half-asleep state that had made that decision. Either way, neither of them had brought it up yet since they got up, and Dipper kind of hoped it stayed that way.

No matter how hard he tried to focus after that, there was no luck. His mind kept drifting to how Bill had acted in the kitchen as well. Bill had been more comfortable with him, more intimate. While his thoughts drifted, he became more and more convinced that it really had been a conscious choice that Bill made. Once at that conclusion, another invasive thought reared its head: Bill and Luke had never officially broken up. Sure, they hadn’t spoken in a couple weeks or so, but that did nothing to ease Dipper’s anxious mind.

The upsetting thought was pushed to the back of his mind as Bill walked in, fresh and clean.

            “Hey there stranger,” Dipper called out, leaning back in his seat to better see the blond, “I was thinking that we maybe could go out again today, just us two this time though.”

            Bill sat down next to him and mocked thinking hard about something. He hummed a bit before answering, “I think we could do that,” he mused with a smile, “but first, let me ask you something.”

            Dipper looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

            “Did you just ask me out on a date?” Bill asked, an almost hopeful look in his eyes.

            The realization that, yes, he did in fact ask Bill out dawned on him, causing him to blush profusely and stumble over his words for a moment before managing to weakly say: “I-I think I did…”

            Bill stared at him emotionlessly for almost a full minute and Dipper began to wonder if that was the right answer or not. Then, suddenly, Bill burst out in laughter so raucous he couldn’t breathe. Now seriously worried that he had said the wrong thing, and slightly embarrassed as well, Dipper looked away from Bill, turning his attention to the computer screen in front of him.

            “Hey,” Bill said, calming down right away when he saw the look on Dipper’s face, “Look, I’m not laughing at you; I’m laughing at how you said that. It was funny and kind of cute if I’m being honest here. You were so certain and confident when you didn’t think much about it, but when I told you that it sounded like you were asking me out, you became all adorably flustered and embarrassed and unsure,” Bill’s hand went to Dipper’s shoulder and made him look up, “and to answer the question I know you’re about to ask, yes, I will accept the offer as a date.”

            “Actually, I was going to ask about early this morning, Dipper blurted out, “You know, when you taught me how to dance?”

            Bill nodded, still smiling a tiny smile, “That wasn’t my sleep deprived and tired state that did those things. I was very much aware of what I was doing.”

            Dipper felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off him. He hadn’t realized how much that had actually been worrying him. Not even thinking, he grabbed Bill in a tight hug, kissing the top of his head and burying his nose in the soft blond hair. Bill shifted and adjusted himself so he was sitting on Dipper’s lap, arms around his chest.

            “You don’t realize just how relieved hearing that made me,” Dipper whispered into Bill’s hair, rubbing the blond boy’s back, “I felt that I had taken advantage of you or something along those lines.”

            This elicited a chuckle from Bill, “Now why would you have thought that? Even if I was tired I sure knew what I was doing.”

            Dipper blushed, choosing not to answer, getting another chuckle from Bill.

            After a few moments, Dipper spoke up again, “So, where should we go this afternoon? I don’t feel like going shopping really. Maybe we could catch a movie then go out for a drink after?” he suggested with a shrug.

            Bill nodded, “It would be better to have the drink at either your or my place though. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to drink because you have to be the DD and I don’t feel like getting hammered off my ass alone tonight.”

            “Your place for the drink then. You’ve got a really good sound system and alcohol, where as I happen to have neither of those things here.”

            “My place after the movie it is,” Bill concluded.

            When they finally got the urge to get up, it was nearing five. Quickly grabbing their coats, the booked it out the door so they could make it in time for the half-past showings. They ended up watching some romantic comedy on Bill’s request. Dipper was quite surprised when Bill got highly emotionally invested in the film. The older man had actually cried a few times during the sappier parts of the movie, leaving the theatre with puffy red eyes and sniffling though a stuffy nose. Dipper wasn’t afraid to put his arm around Bill during the movie and leave it there until he had to start driving back to the apartments.

            Once they had eaten a quick meal Bill had whipped up, the liquor cabinet was opened and the Keurig was booted up so Dipper could make his specialty B52 coffee. When the coffees were done, the brunet rook Calua, Bailey’s and Grand Marnié, poured some in both large glasses and gave it a good mix before giving a glass to Bill, making a toast  and taking a large drink. In the time it had taken for Dipper to prepare the drinks, Bill had put on an upbeat playlist on the sound system.

            With a decent amount of alcohol in their systems, the two became a bit more loose and relaxed with each other, opening up doors to topics better left to the imagination. While discussing one of said topics, their previously shitty love lives, things that would be regretted later on would be said.

            “You wanna know something?” Dipper asked, lying upside down on the couch with a thoughtful look on his face.

            “It depends on what that something is, Pine Tree,” Bill replied, only slightly affected by the booze, “I don’t want to hear things that will hurt me.”

            Dipper shook his head, “I don’t think it’ll hurt you,” he said. Dipper’s alcohol tolerance level was much lower than Bill’s, and the amount of alcohol in the B52 was enough to put even Bill in a slight haze after a few sips. The brunet was, in short, extremely drunk and unpredictable at the moment.

            “Then let’s hear it. I’m curious.”

            Taking a deep breath, Dipper spoke, “Well, I’ve been thinking this for a while, I just haven’t gotten the guts to say it until now,” he was silent for a moment, seemingly for dramatic flair, before continuing, “Bill Cipher, I think I’m in love with you.”

            Bill sat back in a slightly shocked silence. In reality, it wasn’t the so-called huge revelation that stunned him, it was that Dipper had said that he’d felt that way for a while. Had it been as long as Bill felt that way about the brunet? Bill sighed and took another drink. This didn’t mean anything if they were drunk.

            A sad smile on his lips, he replied: “Tell me that when you’re sober.”

▲▼▲

            The next morning was painful, to say the least. Dipper had a massive hangover, causing a late rising. Thanks to the black curtains Bill had hanging on the door to the balcony and the adjoining windows the headache wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He looked around the room for Bill. When he didn’t see the cynical blond, he got up to go check the other rooms only to step on the very person he was looking for. Though confused, he wasn’t awake enough to really question it.

            Since he was up, Dipper decided that he should probably go freshen up, or at least the lingering taste of alcohol out of his mouth. Stepping over Bill this time, he quietly made his way to the bathroom. He quickly went to the washroom and washed his face before sneaking to the kitchen to eat something small before Bill woke up. When he got to the kitchen though, he was rather surprised by the sight before him.

            Bill was sitting on the counter, dishevelled and sleepy-eyes. His usually neatly arranged curls were sticking up and bent everywhere, and he had a pair of fuzzy pyjama pants on. Tired gold eyes were hooded heavily and lithe hands clutched a mug of what smelled like hot chocolate. All in all, it was a good look for Bill, Dipper thought to himself, doing his best to keep a smirk from making an appearance and giving away his thoughts.

            “Morning, sleepyhead,” Dipper cooed teasingly at the blond, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of juice. Why Bill seemed to always have personal-sized bottles of different types of juice, Dipper doubted he’d ever find out.

            Bill grumbled out a response, unmoving as Dipper hopped up on the counter beside him, “Want an Advil?” the brunet asked, putting his arm around Bill. At the contact, Bill seemed to become fully awake, jumping off the counter and buzzing around the kitchen, words spilling out of his mouth at light speed.

            “Um,” Dipper interrupted Bill’s ramblings, “Did something… happen last night?” he hesitated, unsure of the wording.

            Bill froze in his tracks, slowly turning to look at Dipper with wide eyes, “No, nothing. Why do you ask?” he squeaked out, giving away that, yes, something did happen.

            “What the hell did I do, Bill?” Dipper asked in a monotone.

            The small blond sighed, rubbing his temples, “You didn’t really _do_ anything per-say. You said something that hit a bit of a sore spot. Not your fault though. Usually people would be glad to hear it, and you were drunk out of your mind so you aren’t at fault. You didn’t know,” Bill rambled on, getting slightly erratic gestures the longer he spoke.

            Hopping off of the counter, Dipper walked over and put his hands on Bill’s shoulders, turning the smaller man towards him, “Bill,” he said sternly, “calm down. I want to know what I said and just why it upset you.”

            Looking away, Bill mumbled: “I can’t tell you…”

            “Why not though?” the brunet asked, moving his hands to Bill’s biceps and softly rubbing up and down in an attempt to calm him down a bit more, “I’m not asking you to tell me what I said this time; I’m just wondering why you can’t tell me.”

            “It’s something I can’t say yet… something I wasn’t ready to hear either,” Bill said quietly. Dipper guessed that that was all of the information he would be able to squeeze out of Bill for the time being. He gave the blond a quick hug before hunting down the bottle of painkillers and popping a couple in, washing it down with the juice.

            For the rest of the morning and a decent part of the afternoon, Bill avoided as much physical contact with Dipper as was humanly possible. Much to his own dismay though, he couldn’t escape the brunet’s ridiculously relaxing shoulder and back massages. It was sometime nearing the evening when he fell prey to Dipper’s magic touch. Bill lied down on the couch and let it happen, partially because he wasn’t in the mood to fight, and partially because he thought that this was much needed.

            This time though, Dipper did something that surprised Bill. When he finished massaging his shoulders, instead of moving to his back like usual, he massaged each of Bill’s arms, then to his sides, then his back.

            “Mmm… what’re you doing?” the mostly asleep blond mumbled.

            “It’s a full body massage. Shoulders, arms, back, legs, hands, feet, all of the back of you gets to relax.” Dipper replied quietly, continuing to get all of the knots out of his lower back.

            Bill hummed out a small noise of content, letting himself doze off slightly.

            Dipper smiled down at the dancer. As much as it made him nervous, the thought of being with Bill as more than friends excited him in ways he didn’t quite understand. It was a weird feeling, somewhere between anticipation and anxiety, and he didn’t think that he minded the feeling too much.

            Looking at the time, Dipper swore under his breath and shook Bill fully awake.

            “Huh?” the drowsy blond lifted his head and turned to look at a slightly panicked Dipper, “What-”

            “You really need to get ready for tonight’s show if you want to make the rehearsal,” the tall author said, standing up and pointing to the clock. When Bill’s eyes seemed to register just what he was looking at, they widened. He shot straight up and started racing around the apartment like a madman. Dipper stayed well out of Bill’s way, sitting on the couch and sending a text about their current situation to one of the other senior dancers via Bill’s cellphone. A positive response to hold off a few minutes was received just as they left the door, letting them have enough peace of mind so they could drive safely on the slick late autumn roads.

            The moment the car was parked, Bill ran out, almost fell, and then into the employees only entrance, leaving Dipper to go in through the main one. He said a quick hello to the bouncer, who was named Thomson, as Dipper had found out recently, before walking in and taking a seat at his usual spot at the bar.

            Slowly, the other employees trickled in as it got closer to opening. One of his favourite non-performer employees was a bartender and waitress named Wendy. She had long, fiery red hair, porcelain skin and a smattering of freckles. While most of the workers at the club, dancer or not, wore seductive or revealing clothing, Wendy was usually in lumberjack wear; ragged blue jeans, a green plaid flannel, sleeves always rolled up, and a brown, fuzzy flap hat was her favourite outfit it seemed. She had a sharp personality; always had a comeback or worthy and wise life advice for everything. Dipper believed that the real reason he had found such a good friend in her is because she was just as fun and outgoing as his sister.

            When she saw the look on Dipper’s face, she took a deep breath, ready to ask him some questions, but was stopped when the complacent brunet held his hand up to her.

            “Before you ask, no I haven’t told him yet,” Dipper said simply, “Also, he’s got closing act tonight so I will be having a drink early on.”

            Wendy let out an exasperated sigh, loading on the dramatics, “When will you tell him?” It’s been how many months that you’ve felt this way?” she asked, leaning on the bar counter.

            He rolled his eyes, “I’ve known since the moment I met him, I told you this already,” he said, “There was this… spark that I felt and I just knew. That was about four and a half months ago, three of which we weren’t in contact for.”

            “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that by the way. During those months Cipheress was dancing like a goddess, but Bill was strangely detached from everything, including his alter-ego. He was really torn up about you,” she explained with a concerned look on her face, “I mean like _really_ torn up about you. It was probably super unhealthy if I’m being honest here.”

            “That doesn’t mean any-”

            “It means that he-!”

            I don’t want to hear-!”

            “Well you need to!”

            “Not unless it’s from him.”

            The two continued their quiet bickering until the customers started to come in and Wendy had to go serve. She left Dipper with a glare and a promise that their conversation wasn’t over. The other bartender, Tambry, put her hand on Dipper’s bicep, “I’m not sure you’ll be able to get out of this one, Dipper. I wish you luck,” she said with a quick pat before going to go mix a drink for a customer. With that, Dipper was to wait in silence and boredom until the show started a short bit after.

            The first performance was by Raven, a girl with jet black hair, a sunny personality, and a lilting, high-pitched voice. Dipper was mildly entertained for her quick set, and found the main show decent, but he was waiting on the edge of his seat for when they announced Cipheress’ ending performance. To him, everything paled in compare to the golds and blacks of Cipheress’ shows. Well, everything except the was Bill danced around his apartment, everything except how Bill snag when he didn’t think that Dipper was listening, slightly off-key and so soulful, everything except Bill’s laugh, Bill’s smile, Bill’s attitude. Everything paled in comparison to Cipheress except for the domestic Bill that only he knew.

            When the lights switched from azure to gold, Dipper was immediately entranced. Even though Cipheress only did two songs, he soaked in every second of it in complete awe. No matter how many times he saw Cipheress perform, he still found it breathtaking.

            Cipheress left the stage and the lights went back to normal, crappy dance music filtering through the speakers since there was no more live performances that evening.

            Dipper turned back to face the bar. It was about an hour from closing and people had ordered their last drinks, leaving Wendy to mix and Tambry to serve. For that next hour, Wendy and Dipper bickered on and off while they waited for both Bill and closing time. Wendy was insisting that Dipper tell Bill how he felt while Dipper was adamantly refusing. The stopped abruptly when said dancer walked up to them.

            “Hello to you to then,” Bill said, clean of makeup and in sweatpants, “You didn’t have to stop your conversation just because I got here. Feel free to continue.”

            Dipper coughed a bit to clear his throat, “I-it was more of an argument than a proper conversation…”

            “I still heard my name thrown around here and there,” the blond replied bluntly.

            Wendy and Dipper exchanged scared glances. They both knew that if they said the wrong thing, there would be no escaping the shitstorm that ensued.

            “Dipper here was asking me what kind of shows you watch, and then we got into an argument over whether Criminal Minds or Sherlock was better when I told him you tend to watch crime shows,” Wendy lied through her teeth.

            “Hannibal beats them both,” Bill said matter of factly, “And you can’t even deny it.”

            “No way,” Dipper mused, “Criminal minds easily takes them both out thanks to Reid.”

            “Sherlock and Watson, Dipper,” Wendy reasoned, “You can’t get a better team.”

            From there on, it really was an argument on which crime show was the best. It turned out all three of them were very deeply invested in these shows and could pull the best arguments out of nowhere. In the end, Dipper got Wendy mad at him by mentioning how Sherlock didn’t even have ten episodes, Bill got the others upset by mentioning how Hannigram is an officialised couple and their favourite pairs were still unofficial, and Wendy was losing terribly in every aspect except for how smart the characters were. They were all laughing as they walked to the parking lot together. Wendy said a quick goodbye to then before heading off towards her truck, leaving the boys at Dipper’s crappy old station wagon.

            Once they were alone, Bill spoke up, “You know, you really need a better car,” he said, getting in the passenger seat.

            “When I get the money for one, I’ll get one,” Dipper replied, “Until then though, my station wagon does the job.”

            The ride home was silent, both of them more tired than they would have liked to admit. When they got home, Bill went straight to Dipper’s bed and fell asleep. Changing and washing up a bit beforehand, the brunet went to bed not long after.

▲▼▲

            The next few weeks passed routinely. Bill’s performances, complaints about Dipper’s car, Wendy joining them to binge watch crime shows, and Dipper staying up to ungodly hours of the night writing his novel.

            One day in early December, Bill knocked on Dipper’s door with a pleasant surprise.

            “First snowfall, Pine Tree,” is all the excited blond said, tossing a handful of snow at a half-asleep Dipper before running away down the hall.

            Dipper blinked a few times in confusion. What just happened didn’t seem to be sinking in in his current tired state. Finally, the cold of the melting snow on his toes woke him up to his current situation and he took off after Bill, quickly closing his door.

            He got outside to see Bill with an arsenal of snowballs at his side. It was at this moment that Dipper realized that he was only in a tee-shirt and boxers and was royally screwed. Bill started tossing snowballs at a cowering Dipper, each one hitting their intended target. When Bill ran out of snowballs, he ran over and tackled the brunet into the snowy grass, both laughing to the point of tears.

            It was things like this, Dipper thought, that made him fall even deeper in love with Bill. Things like how he got excited for the smallest and seemingly unimportant, everyday events. Like how his laugh was a sound that was brighter than the sun, or how he seemed to fit perfectly in Dipper’s arms. The small things were what caused him to fall ever deeper in love with the small blond boy in his arms.

            He nuzzled Bill hair, relishing the softness against his face. The smell of his own shampoo greeted his nose. Bill smelled like him, and frankly, it blew Dipper’s mind.

            Helping each other, they got up, standing closer than two friends usually would. A strange look appeared in Bill’s eyes. Before Dipper could say anything, Bill spoke up.

            “Dipper Pines, I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't edit this yet. Let me know if you see any mistakes and I'll go through and fix it. Also, I love love love seeing comments on my work, even if it's something small. Comments light up my day and I appreciate every single one. Finally, I'm not making the playlist. If any of you want to, just do so and give me a link. I'll put it in the notes and give your credit for it. Ciao mi bellas. (Sorry if my grammer makes your cringe I'm shit in Italian).


	5. Have Some Holiday Sprit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? I'm going to be fixing all mistakes in previous chapters over the holidays so point them out please. (I know about the sinner party and he was a black haired girl and they hurt but I need to fix all of them so)
> 
> Also you're getting a chapter next week and you may be happy to hear that there will be some NSFW stuff in it. (If you look at the comments you'll see a hint in there)
> 
> Even better news: WE'VE BROKEN 50 PAGES AND 20K WORDS

            Bill’s eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He couldn’t take it back though, because the next thing he knew, Dipper’s lips were on his and he was kissing back. Was he scared of what was going to happen next? Of course he was! He was fucking terrified, but this time, he was determined to not let that fear get in the way of a relationship. He had already met Dipper’s sister, so there was that out of the way. On the other hand though, Dipper and Will still had not been formally introduced.

            In a sudden snap to reality, Bill realized that Dipper was still in his underwear and barefooted and probably freezing. Breaking the kiss, Bill spoke, “Crap, you’re barely wearing anything, it’s only 30 degrees out and you’re lifting me up? When did this happen?” the blond asked in confusion.

            Dipper let out a chuckle. “Well, I think I lifted you up when you kissed back. I’m completely sure though, so don’t take my word on it,” he said, setting Bill down on the snowy ground.

            In an unspoken agreement, the two began to walk back to the doors of the building. Dipper unlocked the main doors with the sensor key and held it open for Bill. Unsurprisingly, the elevators weren’t working so they had to take the stairs three flights up. Bill, thumping his pockets for his keys, realized that he was locked out of his apartment. With a sigh, he followed Dipper into the warmth of his apartment instead.

            Seeing the blond take his coat off, Dipper smiled a bit. “Locked yourself out again?” he asked with a chuckle, receiving a half-assed glare from the blond. He turned his TV on and switched to the radio channels, finding one with Christmas music and putting that station on.

            Bill had an eyebrow raised. He seemed to be skeptical about Dipper’s choice of music. “What?” the brunet asked, “There’s, like, a week left till Christmas. I’m being festive. It’s kind of a thing Mabel drove into my head since we were kids.”

            “I wasn’t judging. I was just confused. For some odd reason I didn’t think you were a religious person is all,” Bill said, beginning to raid Dipper’s kitchen for something.

            Dipper shrugged and leaned on the breakfast bar, “I’m not. My parents were, are still actually, and they got us celebrating it as kids. The traditions stuck with us even when they separated and we moved in with my Grunkle Stan and Grandpa Ford. My mom always joined us for the holidays there. Then Grandpa Ford went off and decided to move into an old age home because ‘he couldn’t take care of the house anymore’ and Grunkle Stan… well, we still celebrated it every year at his place, up until this year I guess,” a look of nostalgia passed over Dipper’s face, “Now the place has been sold, and we’re all living on our own. My mom’s overseas this winter for business and Mabel’s in California for college. You know something though?” Dipper looked up at Bill, genuinely asking him this.

            “No, but I have a feeling that you’re going to tell me,” Bill replied, leaning on the other side of the breakfast bar, a smile on his face.

            “I’m fine with that. I’m fine with my family being split up this year. We each have a new opportunity to make new traditions and meet new people to have fun with. And maybe next year when we all get together, or even the year after that, or whenever our next holiday together is, we can share those new traditions with each other and our new friends, and maybe even our new family,” Dipper was beaming, a light in his eyes that Bill had never seen before shining through, “I’m fine with us being apart because we have more chances to do more things. We can make our own traditions, and share our old ones with new people. We can become closer to others, which is something I never got to do as an introverted and overprotected child. We can crack Christmas crackers with new people and tell old corny jokes to those who haven’t heard them yet, and honestly, I’m actually excited for it.”

            The way that Dipper put it, Bill couldn’t help but think about Will. The two hadn’t gotten together for holidays in years, save for maybe their birthday. Bill had spent his Christmases with the other dancers from the club most years, and this year, he didn’t have to. The realization that he would have someone closer than a co-worker to spend the holidays with dawned on him and he felt himself tearing up at the very prospect. When he realized Dipper was talking again, he asked what he had said and that he had blanked out for a moment, earning himself a laugh.

            “I was suggesting you invite Will over for dinner on Christmas day. I would invite Mabel, but she’s already told me she’s going to be having Paz over so she can’t come. Plus, it would give me a chance to meet your twin,” Dipper replied cheerily. It seemed that almost nothing bothered Dipper, if it was Bill doing it.

            “Well, I can’t invite him over if there’s no decoration. He takes the holiday quite seriously, you see. Even his office is decorated, he’s that festive,” Bill explained, poking Dipper’s upper arm playfully, “If it’s bare of a tree and festive lights, then it’s bare of his presence during the holidays.”

            Dipper let out a hearty laugh. “Well, that just means we have to go as full out as we can for decorations between our apartments.”

            “Oh, no. No, my apartment already has decorations ready to put up. You on the other hand, need to make a good impression,” Bill got up and walked around to Dipper’s side of the breakfast bar and sat on one of the stools he had gotten for it, “and that means that you need to go get dressed and we need to go buy some décor for your place. Starting with a tree.”

            “Alright, alright, I get what you’re telling me. We’re going decoration shopping and I’m still not dressed. I will go do that, and you will be shocked at just how festive I actually am,” Dipper replied, turning the TV off and walking to his room, chuckling still.

            Bill looked around the apartment that was so similar yet so very different from his own. They had the same coloured walls, same tiled floors, but they felt so different. Bill’s apartment was very minimal. He went for the least amount of things. Though it was usually people who were never home who did things like that, Bill was almost always home. He just hated clutter. Sadly, the affect his style had on the mood of his apartment made it feel like it really wasn’t lived in at all. His home didn’t really have a homey feel to it. Dipper’s apartment on the other hand, was oh so welcoming. Yes, it was messy and cluttered, but it had a warm, lived in and loved feeling to it; and Bill had become very at home here, much more so than in his own home even. He had a drawer in Dipper’s bedroom, and a rack in the coat closet, and even a spare key. It felt strange to admit, but he felt like Dipper was already becoming family to him.

            Bill was torn from his thoughts as a very, very, appallingly-dressed Dipper walked into the room. The brunet was wearing what was probably the ugliest ugly Christmas sweater Bill had ever seen. It was a royal blue with a green pine tree pattern, but oh, the clashing colours weren’t enough. To add to the ugliness quality, it was covered, almost ridiculously so, in miniature, working, rainbow, LED lights. Worst of all, bright red and white striped pants accompanied the abomination.

            “I’m sorry but what the fuck are you wearing?” Bill asked in a monotone.

            “Festivity my dear friend, festivity,” is the only response given to the horrified blond before he was promptly handed his coat, slipped into his shoes and herded out the door.

            The trip to the mall was a short one, but Bill decided that it could have been much shorter, thanks to Dipper singing along to every single song that came on the radio, purposefully terribly and very loudly. At their destination, things slowed down to a crawl. People shoved and jostled the two around, cutting in line and practically snagging things out of their hands. When they finally grabbed all the decorations and fairy lights, Bill made a bee-line for the car, about five bags in hand. Everything was put into the trunk, and then they went off to get a last-minute tree.

            They ended up getting a decent-sized tree. It was at least Bill’s height, though that wasn’t very tall. Bill brought all the decorations into Dipper’s apartment, while the brunet handled his tree.

            “Okay, let’s set this up!” Dipper said cheerfully, though he quickly became concerned when he saw Bill’s exhausted and pale face, “Are you okay?”

            Bill just sort of shrugged, not energetic enough to really speak. The mall had really drained him. There was so much stress and he just felt like crap. Without a word, Dipper pulled the blond over to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, stroking his hair to help calm him down. He was still tense, but the contact got him to release most of the tension into nothing, leaving room for the relaxing warmth of Dipper’s body. They stood like that for a few minutes, just until Bill pulled away and started yelling at Dipper to start putting the tree up in a jokingly serious manner.

            Once the tree was set up, the two began to decorate it, stringing up fairy lights and putting baubles on the branches. Gold, blue and silver garland draped from branch to branch, setting the light from the fairy lights onto the walls in beautiful patterns. They put up more lights around the balcony door and windows, around the stove and cupboards in the kitchen, and around the window in Dipper’s room. A few festive signs graced the hallway, messages of Santa Claus and his reindeer portrayed with fun cartoons made from wood and painted bright colours. There was a bright green wreath on the back of the door.

            With the decorating done, they sat at the breakfast bar, homemade candy cane hot chocolate in hand and told each other stories of previous holidays. The music wafted quietly from the TV speakers along with the artificial crackling of a fire. The mood was relaxed, the lights all out except for the fairy lights, making the room dim and coloured slightly. Eventually, they fell silent, stories told and hot chocolate drank.

            They sat like that for a while, the only noise coming from the TV. It was comfortable. No words were said, and no attempts and disturbing anything were made, because in those moments, everything was perfect. There were no problems in the world to them in those moments, because they were the only two that existed and they found no problems in each other.

            Eventually, Bill got up and held his hand out to Dipper, just like on that night they first kissed. Dipper accepted the hand and stood, letting himself be guided to the middle of the living room. Bill led the two in a swirling and mid-tempo dance. They were so light in their hearts, that they felt just as light on their feet. As the song changed, so did their dance. Just like before, it became slower and more intimate as the song became so. Bill rested his cheek on Dipper’s collar, and Dipper rested his chin on Bill’s head as they held each other close, turning slowly on the spot. At one point they stopped turning, and just stood there, holding each other.

            Pulling apart, they looked into each other’s eyes. A familiar rush spread through them, but this time, there was something a bit different. Yes, the jolt was there, but now there was a beautiful warmth that seemed not to only be there on the inside, but spread to the outside as well, filling the space between and around them with something that could only be described as magical.

            Without a word, the two leaned into each other, lightly brushing their lips together before pulling apart again, just relishing in the feeling of the other being there.

            “A Christmas miracle…” Dipper muttered, his gaze soft and voice low.

            “Yeah, it certainly is a Christmas miracle,” Bill chuckled lightly, his voice breathy.

            They brushed their lips together again before letting go of each other, though still letting their hands touch, and heading off to bed.

            It was the first night in a long time they both had a full and restful sleep.

▲▼▲

            The next day, Bill contacted Will and invited him over for dinner on Christmas day. Will happily obliged to meet them, though he told them that he would need to be picked up at the airport.

            After that, time flew by quickly. They met up with friends for coffee, went shopping for gifts together, though Bill got a ride from Wendy when he went to get Dipper’s gift and Dipper went alone to go get Bill’s gift, and decorated Bill’s apartment to the same extent as Dipper’s. All in all, Christmas came quickly and Will’s arrival was upon them in what seemed to be no time at all.

            They were waiting in the pickup line at the airport in the snow when Will walked up to the car and got into the back seat, putting his duffel bag on the seat next to him. He looked quite different from the last time Bill had seen him.

            “You dyed your hair!” Bill exclaimed, turning around in his seat to look at his twin, “You also cut it! Why didn’t you tell me, you ass?!” he lightly punched his brother in the arm.

            Will was laughing, “I wanted to surprise you!” he said, grinning widely, “I also cut it, see?” He ruffled his hair to show off both the bright blue dye and a nicely done undercut.

            Dipper couldn’t help but laugh a bit at how much the two reminded him of Mabel and himself. They were very much energetic when put together, but from what he’s witnessed, they were rather calm when separate.

            “Will, this is Dipper. I don’t believe the two of you have formally met yet, or met at all in fact,” Bill said, turning back around in his seat, “Acquaint yourselves, I will be listening to Fall Out Boy on my phone,” he put his earbuds in and started tapping out a beat before Dipper took his earbuds out and tossed them back to Will. “You aren’t getting out of this. Just put an Ed Sheeran CD on the car sound system.” The brunet said pointedly, beginning to drive.

            “You seem to keep him good in line,” Will said with a chuckle, tucking the yellow earbuds into his pocket, “Even I have a hard time doing that.”

            “It’s cause you don’t really want to. He _is_ your twin after all, he can tell that you don’t really mean what you’re saying,” Dipper said, glancing at the blue-haired Cipher in the rear-view mirror, “Trust me, I’d know. My sister never listened to me when I tried to convince her to not do something fun but potentially detrimental to her health, or, actually it was more I unwillingly was dragged along while complaining and pointing out those facts to her…” Dipper set his face into one of slight though before shrugging, “Anyways- I had a point to what I was saying…”

            This time all of them started to laugh. It was a much lighter atmosphere than what they thought it would be. Will and Dipper seemed to get along, both being the younger and more logical twin who’s advice was usually ignored because of the former. Stories of their childhoods were thrown around the car, and Dipper took great enjoyment out of the ones where Bill became red and flustered, purposefully sharing some of his own embarrassing stories to make him feel a bit better. They talked and talked until they got back to their apartments.

            The moment that Will saw Dipper’s apartment, his jaw dropped. It was so, so obvious that Bill had helped out; everything screamed his style. Another thing that was obvious, was just what the mood must have been the night they decorated. Will was a very observant person, and he couldn’t miss the way the two styles mixed in a way one could almost call intimate somehow, one style so familiar and one still strange to him. When Will looked over at the two of them, bustling around the kitchen separately but still working together to accomplish two different goals, he knew right away that Bill had big plans for the evening of Christmas dinner. He also knew that Bill wanted to run his idea by Will before actually acting on it, and that’s why he asked Will to come by a couple days before Christmas.

            The two walked out of the kitchen with hot chocolate and, amazingly, fresh cookies. They must have put it in before they left so it would be ready when they got back. Taking a seat on the couch, Will saw how they were constantly touching somehow. Whether it was their legs brushing, or their hands touching the other somewhere on their body, or just plain holding hands, the two were _always_ in contact with each other somehow, and it frankly stunned the hell out of Will. The last time he has seen his twin, he had been having a breakdown about this boy he had fallen in love at first sight with, and sobbing about and abusive boyfriend. It was such a drastic change over a few months, but if this was the affect Dipper had on Bill, turning him from someone who had absolutely no hope to someone who was just plain radiating with joy and love, then he was fully content with him.

            They all made small talk, ate cookies, and drank Bill’s new hot chocolate recipe until they began to tire. Will was quite surprised when Bill handed him a spare key to his apartment and to make himself at home there if he wasn’t comfortable sleeping on the couch here. Letting them both know that he was perfectly fine with sleeping on the couch, he smiled as he watched his twin and Dipper walk off to the bedroom, both yawning and leaning on each other. He lied down on the couch after going to the bathroom to change into pyjamas and promptly fell asleep.

            The next morning, Will woke up to the smell of mint, pancake batter and the sound of Ed Sheeran playing quietly. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked to the kitchen to see the two that lived there (though technically Bill didn’t live there) working together and dancing while making breakfast, completely oblivious to the blue-haired twin watching the adorable show. Each time he looked at the two of them, he realized just how much they loved and cared about each other, and just how good the brunet was for Bill.

            He cleared his throat and the two looked over at him, not really affected, just aware of his presence now. They continued what Will assumed was their morning routine, Will getting himself ready for the day, not wanting to interrupt them. When he came back to the living room, effectively at the worst possible time, _of course_ , he raised his eyebrows a bit and slipped back to the bathroom. He hadn’t walking in on anything scandalous, no, but he had walked in on a private moment.

            Dipper and Bill had been holding each other close, Bill’s face in Dipper’s chest and Dipper’s face in Bill’s hair, how they usually danced. This time however, they had just been holding each other, the quiet music just making them sway. No, Will didn’t want to intrude on them, no matter how casual it had probably felt to them because the air in that room was just so _personal_. They had a very intimate mood to them, even if they couldn’t feel it, and Will was just so amazed that his twin had actually opened up to someone other than him. He wasn’t jealous about it, if anything he was ecstatic about it. He was so happy that his brother had found someone that he could trust. From what he had seen in the last twelve hours, and from what he heard about their meeting, Bill had actually found his soulmate, something so rare that it was seen as a childish dream to meet someone like that. It was seen as just a fantasy to have love at first sight, but Bill had gotten it and Will was just so happy that Bill had found the piece missing from him that Will seemed to be unable to fill. Will, being aromantic himself, knew that he wouldn’t experience the sensation of knowing love at first sight, but he was fine with that. He didn’t _want_ a romantic relationship, he just wanted his brother to be happy.

            After a few more minutes, Will went out to the living room again to find the two of them just standing there in the kitchen, staring at each other from opposite sides of the room. Deciding that this wasn’t too bad a time to interrupt, he walked into the kitchen and snagged the spoon in the batter bowl, snapping them out of their moment.

            Bill then spent the next five minutes chasing after his twin, yelling at him for messing with his kitchen while Dipper casually ate batter from the bowl, earning a scolding when Bill was done with Will, wildly waving the batter spoon at the brunet.

            Once breakfast was made, only a few injuries given in the process, they all settled on the couch, even though the breakfast bar was right in front of them, along with the dining table. They quickly ate before Bill ran over to his apartment and brought a few gifts over, placing them under the tree with Dipper’s and Will’s.

            The rest of the day was pretty basic, except for the fact that, at one point, Bill decided that he should practice his new routine, efficiently shutting down Dipper’s thought process for the next few hours and impressing Will immensely.

            All of them were ecstatic that evening, Bill rapidly but lightly punching Will’s shoulder repeatedly, letting out a high pitched noise of excitement as he did so. Apparently it was a tradition for the Cipher twins to stay up until midnight, open one gift each and then go to bed, saving the rest for the morning. Dipper made them each a cup of milk tea, then, as he was bringing it in, the clock struck midnight and the two Ciphers went ballistic, diving for their presents and passing them to the other, tearing the paper open with an animalistic drive. The brunet was frozen in a mixture of surprise and slight fear when they turned their gaze to him after hugging each other in thanks. Unsure of what to do exactly, he placed the three cups onto the table, not breaking eye contact once, no matter how intimidating this was.

            “Well?” they asked in unison, higher and lower voices mixing together in a disturbing, slightly demonic way.

            “Well, what?” Dipper asked, now officially confused.

            Bill rolled his eyes, “Aren’t you going to join in? Didn’t you say it was a great year to share traditions and make new ones?”

            Dipper began to slightly regret his ‘learn new things’ euphemism earlier that week, as it was now being used against him the its highest extent as he sat on the couch after grabbing two gifts and passing them to the twins, who each passed him one in return. He opened Will’s first. To his surprise, it was a leather bound journal. The leather was supple, but not flimsily so, and the pages seemed to be made out of something like cardstock. He thanked Will, who was fawning over his own gift of homemade potpourri (which, once again, Bill helped with) and turned to Bill’s gift. He glanced over at the blond, who seemed to be waiting for Dipper to open his before even so much as lifting a corner of the paper on his own. Dipper looked down at the gift in his hands and summed it up mentally.

            It was a very small package, much smaller than the journal, and it was almost perfectly cubic. It didn’t weigh much and when he shook it, there was no sound of anything moving. He carefully tore the paper off for the thought of the item being fragile, and what he saw when it was open made his eyes go wide and jaw gape a tiny bit.

            Dark blue velvet covered the entire surface of the miniature box. It had what seemed to be cut diamonds, though it could have easily been zirconia, set into the lid in the shape of a pine tree. It still fit in the palm of his hand, and upon seeing it, the thought of what was most likely inside dawned on Dipper.

            He was holding a specially made ring box, and inside it was most likely an engagement or a promise ring, either of which would make Dipper’s world.

            Carefully and slowly, he opened the lid which snapped back with a satisfying _pop_. A beautiful ring sat inside. It was a simple silver band with small, aquamarines incrusted into it. It’s centrepiece, though, was a stunning blue gem, though it couldn’t be classified as simply blue. It was deep blue, though there were flecks of lighter blue and black in it, and the most amazing thing about it was that it was cut into the shape of a tiny pine tree.

            “Bill, I…” Dipper looked from the ring to the man sitting beside him with complete and total awe. He glanced back down at the ring and felt himself start to tear up.

            “It’s a promise ring…” Bill said quietly, “And the gem in the center is a black opal. Extremely rare, extremely pricey, but I saw it and it instantly reminded me of you… your eyes to be specific.”

            “It’s beautiful… thank you,” Dipper said, getting Bill to slide the ring onto his finger, “Now, open your gift… I think we had something similar in mind…”

            Bill’s package was about the same size as Dipper’s, only, when he opened it, there was black velvet with tiny yellow gems creating a triangle on the top. Bill wasted no time in looking at the ring. He opened the box and let out an audible gasp when he lay his eyes on the beautiful band.

            The ring itself was made of white gold, and there were small gems all over it. In the very center though, three wondrous stones were set delicately in place. The one in the middle of the gems was pitch black and cut into a triangle, while the two off to either side of it were a bright yellow and shimmering. A closer look showed that all of the miniature gems were like the large center one, black as a moonless night.

            “The yellow ones are Citrine and the black ones…” Dipper trailed off, sliding the ring onto Bill’s finger, “Black diamonds. All of them.”

            Bill’s eyes widened. He knew that black diamonds were one of the rarest type of diamonds, and because of their rarity, just how expensive they were. He practically dove onto Dipper, pressing his lips to the brunet’s with such an intense love. He then began to pepper the taller male’s skin with light little kisses, not leaving an inch unkissed.

            “As sweet and absolutely endearing this is, I believe it is time for us all to go to bed,” Will said, interrupting the two.

            Bill’s only response to that was kissing Dipper again and flipping his twin off, earning a laugh from the blue-haired man.

            Dipper broke the kiss, even though it was obviously highly reluctant. “Come on, you sap, it is getting really late and I’m exhausted,” he said, looking over at the coffee table, “And none of us even touched the milk tea…”

            “Drink it tomorrow iced,” is all Bill replied, nuzzling into the crook of Dipper’s neck, pressing another kiss there as well.

            The brunet just rolled his eyes, picked the small blond up, and walked to their room, calling out a goodnight to Will on his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this all yesterday RIP me this is 11 pages long i hope this makes up for my earlier short shit


	6. I Trusted You

            The next morning, Will crept into Dipper and Bill’s room to surprise them awake, but what he saw made him, once again, realize that he should stop walking in on these two when they’re alone together.

            Bill was curled up against Dipper’s chest, both still fast asleep and neither wearing shirts. Dipper’s arms were around Bill and his nose buried in the golden blond locks. Their legs were tangled up together in the blankets, and they were pressed flush against each other. Will let out a small sigh at the sight, almost reluctant to wake them up.

            Almost is the key word there.              

            With a triumphant and excited yell, Will pounced on the two of them, waking them both up. Bill was screaming out a string of curses, and Dipper actually seemed about ready to cry, he was that scared. Will propped himself up on the side of the bed that was not occupied and grinned at the two of them, who were staring at him with wide eyes.

            “What the hell was that for?!” Bill shouted at his twin, an incredulous look on his face.

            “It’s Christmas day! We have to open presents, go out for breakfast and then start making dinner!” Will said, rolling off the bed after being pushed away by his twin and his twin’s boyfriend, fiancé?, he wasn’t sure anymore.

            “We’re getting up, we’re getting up,” Dipper grumbled, rolling over onto his stomach, somewhat dragging Bill with him.

            Apparently content with his work, Will hopped up and skipped out the door, leaving the couple to the morning routine.

            “I call dibs on the bathroom,” Bill said, shooting up and racing around the bedroom, grabbing his things, bolting out the door before Dipper could protest. The brunet let out a sigh, getting up and beginning to change.

            Bill, of course, walked in as he was changing his pants. They stood there looking at each other for a long moment before Bill slowly backed out of the room, closing the door, and red in the face. The blond walked back to the living room, earning a look from his twin.

            “What the hell just happened?” Will asked, leaning against the bar with a cup of re-warmed milk tea in his hand, “You look like you saw a ghost or some shit.”

            “No, just a half-naked Dipper,” was Bill’s response as he made himself a cup of coffee, “Not the usual half though.”

            Will nodded, understanding what Bill meant. “Isn’t he your boyfriend, fiancé, something?” he asked, a bit confused.

            “Boyfriend. Not yet fiancé. They were _promise rings_ not _engagement rings_ ,” Bill explained, attempting to fix his crazily messed up hair, “And still… it doesn’t change anything. We’re not really going fast like that, so back off of it.”

            “Woah, calm down. I wasn’t going to say anything like that,” Will said, holding his hands up in defense, “You know me. I personally don’t care for things like that at all, so I won’t judge you for it.”

            Bill sighed, his shoulders drooping, “Yeah, I know… Sorry about the outburst.”

            “Anyways…” Will said as Dipper walked into the room, “Let’s get to opening the rest of our gifts.”

            Compared to the gifts from the earliest hours of the day, the gifts they got now were quite pale in comparison. Dipper got a new set of pens to go with his journal, Will got a new set of headphones, and Bill received a new pair of slippers and matching housecoat. When they finished unwrapping everything and were left throwing wads of torn up wrapping paper at each other, Bill brought up the topic of dinner that evening.

            “Hey, about this afternoon, evening, whatever it is…” he said, rolling around on his back, “I hope neither of you mind that I invited Tad over for it. He doesn’t have any family in Oregon, or neighbouring states, so I told him that he could stop by for dinner with us.”

            Dipper nodded, thinking about it. “Well it’s Christmas, so the more the merrier, right?” he asked, lightly tossing a ball of tape at Bill, “Plus, the set of crackers that I got has four in it, so at least it won’t go to waste.”

            The tape hit Will and got stuck in his blue curls. “It’s an all-around win then,” he jotted in.

            It was a very laid-back atmosphere in the room. No one was in any sort of rush, knowing they could go and buy a pre-cooked dinner from the store down the road if they got stuck for time. It was too late to go out for breakfast, and none of them were exactly hungry at the moment anyways.

            A knock on the door snapped them out of their lazy stupor. With a sigh, Bill got up to answer the door, seeing as the other two were probably not getting up any time soon. Opening it, a surprise greeted him.

            “Tad?” he questioned, causing Dipper and Will to look over at him with curious expressions on their faces, “You’re here early, plus this is not the apartment I told you to go to.”

            Tad shrugged, “You weren’t in the apartment next door so I decided to check this one. Seems like I made the right choice.”

            Bill moved out of the way, letting Tad into Dipper’s apartment. “Will, Dipper, this is Tad Strange. He works at the same club I do,” Bill explained.

            Tad was a nice looker, to say the least. Jet black hair hung loosely around his face, while the back was kept up with a hair tie. Violet eyes scanned the room from behind metal hipster frames. He was dressed casually; a white dress shirt was covered with a black, grey and purple striped sweater, the top buttons of the shirt undone, letting the collar stick up at odd angles. Black skinny jeans clung to long, thin legs, settling over a pair of socked feet, shoes discarded at the door.

            Tad’s eyes scanned over Dipper and rested on him, a strange glint appearing in his eyes as he did so. The look he was being given made Dipper slightly uncomfortable, almost like he was being looked _into_ and not at. It was unsettling, to say the least.

            “Nice to meet you all,” Tad said, breaking his gaze on Dipper, “As Bill here said: I’m Tad Strange.”

            Dipper politely nodded, but that was all. Something about this Tad gave him the creeps, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly. Deciding that it would be best to keep his guard up around him, Dipper sat up a bit straighter in his seat, trying to physically become slightly more imposing. Sadly, at 5’6”, it was a bit difficult, especially when the person you were trying to intimidate was a good four inches taller than you.

            Will seemed to be picking up on the man’s strange vibes as well, for his eyes became much harder than they were before the door was opened and his entire body had tensed up like a cat ready to pounce.

            Bill, even, wasn’t exactly being the friendliest towards Tad. It seemed that he had only invited the raven-haired man over as a formality, or to return a favor. His eyes were ice cold when he looked at Tad, and his previously loose gait has become slightly tenser, though he still flowed as smoothly as ever.

            Tad, on the other hand, seemed to be completely at ease with them all, as if he was actually enjoying setting them on edge like this. His eyes were cold and cruel, his posture daunting. He had an air of power that was oppressive to all but Bill. The two were staring at each other, seemingly in a silent competition over who would hold the attention of the room. A few minutes passed in tense silence, eyes darting between the two at the doorway, before Bill won whatever stand-off had been happening.

            “Anyways,” Bill said, a look in his eyes that Dipper had never seen before… or had he? Tads’ being in the room was messing with his head, bringing things that he thought were memories, but were much too surreal to actually be, to the surface of his mind. “I was thinking that instead of cooking, we could all go out for dinner. If I was to make something, it would take too long, and I don’t want to buy a pre-cooked meal, like was the original rush plan,” the blond said in a monotone.

            “Sounds good to me,” Will said, getting a mumbled agreement from Dipper who was still far too deep in his mind to fully comprehend what was happening.

            Bill mumbled something to Tad, snarling while he said it. Will knew what was happening, but why did it have to happen today of all days? If Tad could have waited even one day, they would have been more prepared for this. The only protection Dipper currently had was the ring that Bill had given him, and judging by Tad’s power, it wasn’t going to be as much help as they originally hoped it.

            Being the smug creature he was, Tad grinned evilly at the blond man standing before him. Oh, this was going wonderfully; for him at least. The Cipher twins were probably suffering while they watch their precious toy break apart slightly just by his presence. Their little game will be over soon, if he has his way. In fact, their play-toy will be lost forever if he has way. By this time tomorrow, all of the Pines man’s memories should be flooding back in rapid succession and then what will Bill do, knowing that Dipper remembers everything that happened between them in the past. The thought of causing such chaos brought a dark chuckle to Tad’s lips, gaining another death glare from Bill as he went over to check on the Pines man.

            “Pine Tree, are you okay?” he asked, kneeling down and putting a hand on Dipper’s back, only to get shrugged off violently. So it was already starting to break, the wall in his mind. This was bad, very, very bad. Bill stood up and turned to face Tad, pointing to the door. His point was gotten across quite clearly as his eyes began to get a slight blue glow to them, the pupil in his right eye turning into a triangle as he released a portion of his powers. Tad shrugged, his own pupil turning into a bright violet square as he waved goodbye to the group in the chaotic apartment.

            Once Tad was out of the room, Bill turned back to Dipper, effectively shutting all of his power down. He couldn’t risk that again. He couldn’t risk letting Tad near _his_ human. Strange got the Gleeful boy, Will got his own human in Nebraska, and Bill got the Pines twins in Oregon. With Mabel being out of state, that left only one twin that he could protect; which meant that since Tad now knew that Dipper’s wall was breaking, he would have to let Mabel know as well. Running a hand through his hair, Bill let out a heavy sigh.

            “Will, you need to go protect your human. The situation is about to get really bad, and they’re going to need you to be there for them,” Bill said, looking at his twin, “I can take care of this. I’ve done it once before, I can do it again.”

            Will shook his head, “Bill, you know I can’t do that. My human is the Northwest girl, and she’s with Shooting Star. Usually, she’s in her summer home in Nebraska, but since college started, I’ve been having a tough time keeping an eye on her,” he explained, tapping Dipper’s forehead to put him to sleep. There was no need for the brunet to hear this information.

            “I realize that, but you also know that she’s going to want to get involved in this since her girlfriend is in danger. I can’t let you let her do that, so you have to herd her back to her family and keep them under lock and key until Strange is taken care of,” Bill snapped slightly. He couldn’t let Will get involved in this either, it was too risky. If there were more demons around Pine Tree than necessary, it was guaranteed that he would snap completely.

            The two demons had a silent argument, neither breaking eye contact for a good few minutes. Eventually, Will gave in; he had always been the weakest of the pair. “Alright, I’ll go,” he sighed, “but know that if you need any help at all, Bill, I’m always ready to pop in and snap some necks.”

            “I’ll take care to remember that. Now, go watch the Northwest girl,” Bill instructed, picking up his cell phone, “I’m about to inform Shooting Star that she needs to get her ass back here ASAP.”

            Bill looked away to dial the number, and when he glanced back up, Will was gone. His phone rang once, twice. Mabel’s confused voice came though the speaker, “Bill? What’s going on?”

            “Listen, Shooting Star. The walls holding back your brother’s memories of the past are breaking down, quickly at that,” Bill explained, “We have no time to waste. Tad is coming after the two of you, and I can’t protect you if you’re in California, territory borders and all. I know the two of you didn’t actually sell Sixer’s house, so we’re moving back there. Llama is being protected by Will, and they’re going back to Nebraska as soon as we’re done on the phone. The situation is Code Red, and I can’t even slow the threat down without being at the source of my power.”

            “…” the line was silent for a moment as Mabel thought of what Bill had said. After what seemed like an eternity later, she finally responded, “Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can. If I can catch a ride with Will…”

            “He’ll bring you here, just pack up quickly,” Bill said with a curt tone, “When you next see me, I’ll be back to my proper human form. It’s a lot easier to maintain than this fleshbag…”

            “I’ll see you soon, I guess…” Mabel trailed off and then hung up.

            It was time to spring into action, then, Bill decided. He let his arms fall loosely at his sides, opening up the valve that held his powers back all the way. A golden light enveloped him. Slowly, his features began to change. His messy blond hair tidied itself up, the back becoming black and an undercut forming. His bangs straightened out and grew slightly, just long enough to cover his right eye which had become hidden under a triangular eyepatch. His baggy clothes turned into a dapper suit and coat. A white dress shirt now donned underneath a black vest and golden overcoat with brick patterning halfway up. Sleek black dress pants covered his now long legs, simple dress shoes covering plain socked feet, and white gloved hands peeked from his sleeves. He had grown to be closer to Tad’s height, which was a good four or five inches taller than Dipper, and his features had become much more regal and far less baby-faced than previously. This form was made out of pure energy and had no need of humane things like sleeping or eating, which is why Bill enjoyed it far more than the form he had been taking up until now.

            When his transformation had finished, he bent down and scooped up the still-sleeping brunet on the floor. He snatched up the leather journal and pens, tucking them into his coat for Dipper before casting his gaze around the apartment one last time, snapping his fingers, causing all of the décor to be moved to Stan’s house. With another snap of his fingers, he was standing in the attic room that had belonged to the twins for so many summers of their lives. Dipper’s bed was already there, so he laid the Pines man down and tucked him in before walking downstairs to investigate the rest of the house.

            It wasn’t as dilapidated as he thought it would be. In fact, for the most part it was pretty well the same as how he had left it, though that could have partially been because of the spell he had put on the building to preserve it until this day came. What a shame it had come so soon. Every single room was the same as the day that Stanley Pines died, save for the new additions of Dipper’s furniture and belongings. A warping sound outside announced Will and Mabel’s arrival.

            Going to meet them, Bill was greeted by his twin in his ethereal form as well. They looked practically exactly the same, except that Will’s coat was blue and his hair covered his left eye. The moment they were in each other’s presence, they realized that they had forgotten their hats. Snapping their fingers in unison, matching long, thin top hats appeared over their heads, floating about a half inch above their heads.

            “Alright, now that your snappy greeting is done, is my brother okay?” Mabel asked, crossing her arms at the demons before her.

            “He’s fine, Shooting Star. For now at least. I can’t say the same if Tad gets his claws on him,” Bill said, tilting his head towards her before nodding to Will, “I take it you brought Llama to her abode already?”

            Will nodded back, “Yes, she’s safe at home. Now, I need to get back there, or else the safe could be omitted from that fact. Take your Shooting Star to join the constellation and I’ll be on my way,” he responded, giving Mabel a slight push in the direction of the blond demon before disappearing with a slight pop.

            Mabel shoved past Bill and ran up to the attic, where she knew her brother would be. Bill followed from a distance, taking the journal and pens out of his coat and placing them on the desk that was against the wall opposite to Dipper’s bed. “He’s just asleep,” the demon informed the Pines woman as she turned to him with an accusing glare, “And either way, you have no right to be giving me that look. The rings were exchanged, just like they were supposed to be. They just didn’t work right.”

            As Bill finished speaking, Dipper groaned and sat up sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and saw Mabel sitting there in front of him. Of course, he immediately thought of the worst case scenario and assumed he was in the hospital dying, which Mabel assured him, he was not. Catching a glimpse of Bill in the background, he faltered.

            “Who is that and why is he in here? Where is here anyways?” he wondered, looking around the room, “Wait, are we back in Ford’s house? Why are we here? Mabel, what’s going on?”

            “Calm down, Pine Tree,” Bill said, stepping forwards and crouching at the edge of the bed beside Mabel. Even his voice had changed with the release of his power, “Everything is going to be fine. You need to trust me, okay? I need your promise to me to be that you will trust me on this.” As he spoke, he held up his ring finger, the promise ring that Dipper had given him the previous evening glinting in the red light from the tinted window.

            Dipper stared at the ring, a look of fear crossing his face as more memories that had been suppressed came rushing back. Fire, carnage, death and horror hit him in full force, and, above all, three words were echoing through his mind “ _TRUST NO ONE_ ”. With a yell, he knocked Bill’s hand away from him, causing a dark look to pass behind the blond’s golden eye. Dipper was screaming, covering his ears to try and block out the noises he heard in his head. He wanted these memories to stop, to stay repressed and hidden where they had been for months, maybe even years; time had broken in his mind’s depths a long time ago.

            The warm arms of his twin around him were the only things that calmed him from his high. He slowed his breathing and opened his eyes. Bill was no longer there. It was just Mabel and he, like it had always been, he thought. Any time that he was having a manic episode Mabel had always been the only one able to calm him back down, and any time he was in a depressive state, Mabel had always been the one to cheer him up. His twin was the only one who could help him when he was like this, and it had always been that way.

            “You calm now, Dip-dip?” Mabel asked, rubbing her twin’s back a bit.

            Dipper nodded, taking a deep breath. Why was that blond man so familiar? What happened to Bill, Will and Tad? Why did Tad make him so uneasy? All of these questions and more were whirling around in his mind, giving him a headache. He rubbed his temples in a feeble attempt at easing the pain.

            “Let’s go get you a drink of water and a painkiller,” the Pines woman took her brother’s arm and helped him up.

            “Who was that?” Dipper asked as they walked downstairs, “He… there’s something weird about him. He’s dangerous.”

            Mabel stopped him from continuing, both physically and verbally. “Dipper, you need to listen to me. What I’m about to say might sound insane, but it’s completely true; every single word of it,” she paused to let him understand what she had said.

            “Bill, that man that was with us in your room, is a demon; but listen, he’s on our side, and so is his brother Will. The reason you don’t remember any of this is because of something I asked Bill to do.

            “I got him to put a block on your memories, for your own safety. The near-apocalypse that happened caused your BPD to become wickedly violent to the point where your manic episodes became dangerous.

            “There was also the factor of damage Tad inflicted. Tad is another demon, but he’s against us. You see, Bill has control of Gravity Falls and the surrounding forest’s magic, and the Mystery Shack is the place where his powers are strongest. Tad want’s Gravity Falls for his own power, and he’s willing to do _anything_ for it, including destroying the town itself and Bill. That’s where we come in-”

            Dipper covered her mouth to stop her from speaking. “Mabel, this is too much for me to wrap my head around right now. I can get that Bill’s a demon, but that man wasn’t Bill-” Dipper turned his head to look around the living room only to find someone strange there.

            The man standing there was tall, but he had the main features that the Bill _he_ knew: the mop of messy hair, save for the black tips, the golden eyes, and the lanky frame. The rest of him was similar to the Bill that _Mabel_ knew: he was dressed to the nines in his fancy coattails and top hat, which he tipped towards Dipper as he walked into the room.

            “Well, looks like you’ve calmed down quite a bit, Pine Tree,” the man said, taking a step toward him, “I need a moment with him, Shooting Star, if you don’t mind. I know you’ve explained the basics, but I need to explain a few things as well.”

            Mabel nodded and walked back upstairs, probably to busy herself with cleaning or repairs.

            Bill waited until she was out of earshot before speaking again, “You know what I am. I’m a demon, whether you believe me or not is your choice, but I can prove it to you over and over again if I have to,” he said, standing in front of Dipper, “But I would really not like to live up to Tad’s standard of ‘demonic’ if can help it, so I ask you to just believe me. I know you probably can’t trust me after the revelation that I ‘betrayed you’ of sorts, but I wish you could.”

            At Bill’s words, more memories broke through the dam, jumbling his thoughts a bit, but not as badly as before. Actually, it gave him answers this time…

            _Flames were going up all over town as strange monsters and various levels of demons flooded into this plane of existence. Dipper was standing on a small balcony on the roof of the Mystery Shack, watching the end of the world, or what was going to be close to it certainly, unable to do anything about it._

_Bill Cipher, one of the strongest demons to ever exist, had locked him and his family there for the time being, supposedly to keep them all safe. Though he had good intentions, the magic surrounding the place was attracting monsters and lower class demons and driving Dipper to his wits end with anxiety._

_He wanted to be out there, to be fighting alongside his demon._ His _demon, he repeated in his mind. Bill Cipher had claimed the Pines twins, specifically Dipper, as his humans their first summer in the Falls. The demon’s reasoning of the claim was to protect them while also building up his powers by having a source of magical energy. Over the years, Dipper and Mabel went up more and more often, not only to see Bill, who was bound to the town, but because they had grown very fond of the quaint area and it’s magical properties. When their parents divorced, they became closer to each other and their Grunkle Stand and Grandpa Ford, and instead of going between their parents, they moved to Gravity Falls._

_Dipper had begun to study magic and the like under Bill’s supervision, and soon, they had gotten closer than anyone would have thought. Since Bill was a demon and didn’t have a soul, he couldn’t feel the same way as humans, but Dipper helped with that. Dipper was his humanity and somehow, he had gotten feelings, emotions, through the young Pines._

_This was something rare that occurred, Bill had told Dipper, it only happens when two soulmates meet each other and it creates an inseparable bond between the two. It is also impossible if both counterparts are human, or if they’re both demons. This is a Humanity-Link, he explained, and it’s something that has only been heard of once, in another world, another universe… and it was an alternate of this one… an alternate us._

Dipper had believed Bill at the time, and if he was going to be honest… he still did, because what else could have explained how he felt from the moment they ‘met’?

            “Pine Tree? Is everything okay?” Bill questioned, putting a hand on Dipper’s shoulder, to which both of their surprise, wasn’t shrugged off.

            Dipper looked up into the demon’s eyes, searching for any deception in their depths. He found absolutely none. The only emotions in the demon’s eyes were concern and care. He looked away and took a deep breath.

            “I trusted you… and I still do. So, explain what you need to, I’ll listen. Just let me ask questions if I have them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the durations of the holidays, I''m going to be uploading a lot cause I need January for studying for exams. Yay, exam season and summative season is upon us, please just end me now.
> 
> Also, you thought this was going to be a cute domestic fic? HAHA fuck that. This is going to be a very very interesting story from here on out, and there will be NSFW in coming chapters, though I'm not sure how soon. Don't kill me for this but it's going to be heartwrenching as well, like really, really, heartwrenching.


End file.
